Hens dump bedding and nests out the door!

[Timothyshens]

So... my son has 4 hens. Buff Sussex, bluebell Ancona, and 2 others, the breed name escapes me right now. We got them in May and they have been super easy to look after, perfect pet for a 4 year old and the eggs are awesome .
About 2 weeks ago they started digging all their bedding and nesting materials into a big mound in the middle of the coup, after being very good at just leaving it alone and laying their eggs in the nest in the box.
Then they started to kick it all out the door into the grass leaving no bedding and nest in the coup.
I’m a bit confused by this behaviour. They have also stopped laying 4 eggs per day and only lay 1 every other day. (Collectively that is). It is cold here as it’s winter and I had thought that was why the dramatic reduction in egg production.
Any tips or explanation would be wonderful. Should I keep remaking their bed or just leave it empty since 10 minutes after I make it it’s empty again anyway!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Can you post pictures of the nest boxes? The reduction in eggs likely is due to the shorter days of winter, but spring is coming!! And they should start back up with laying regular again soon. As for the mess making.... I really think they all do it lol. I added a lip to my nest boxes in an attempt to keep at least some of the bedding in. They just love scratching around making their nests 'perfect'

 

[chrissynemetz]

What are the dimensions of your coop? They might possibly be a little cramped in there, and maybe a little bored. They kinda remind me of kids, if they get bored they get into trouble lol

 

[chrissynemetz]

And welcome to BYC!!

 

[BDutch]

Welcome to
It’s true that hens tend to scratch their nest before starting to lay. But this is too much.

Are there no bugs inside the nest boxes?
Did you change the nest box material?
Is there a phoney egg or a golf ball in the nest box to let them know this is the right place to lay their eggs.?

Or maybe they just want to start laying on the spot where the bedding is going?
Or you have to rebuild the entrance a little.

I suppose this is a tractor coop you move around the grass? Against boredom, perhaps you could let them free range (supervised) an hour before sunset?

 

[Timothyshens]

What are the dimensions of your coop? They might possibly be a little cramped in there, and maybe a little bored. They kinda remind me of kids, if they get bored they get into trouble lol

Thank you for your reply l don’t think they’re cramped there is plenty of roosting space and the whole thing is on wheels and gets moved daily so they have fresh grass to root about in. Also they have been perfectly happy with the set up for 8 months. I use wood shavings on the floor and hay for nest for the past 4 months. What kinds of things can I put in to stop boredom?

 

[Timothyshens]

Welcome to
It’s true that hens tend to scratch their nest before starting to lay. But this is too much.

Are there no bugs inside the nest boxes?
Did you change the nest box material?
Is there a phoney egg or a golf ball in the nest box to let them know this is the right place to lay their eggs.?

Or maybe they just want to start laying on the spot where the bedding is going?
Or you have to rebuild the entrance a little.

I suppose this is a tractor coop you move around the grass? Against boredom, perhaps you could let them free range (supervised) an hour before sunset?

Thank you for replying . Yes it gets moved daily so they have access to fresh grass and less poop . Unfortunately I have hunting cats who look at the hens licking their lips waiting for a yummy dinner so letting them out terrifies me.
They have been laying since 2 weeks after they arrived and have had no problem figuring out where to lay unless they’ve suddenly forgotten maybe with not laying so often. Is there anything I can put in the run to keep them occupied? Thinking a hanging seed ball or something? Maybe they’d like a small soccer ball to play with...

 

[DobieLover]

The bare minimum amount of space in the run should be 10 sq feet per bird and in the coop, 3 sq feet per bird. More is always better. There is nothing in their run, it is too small and the coop looks cramped as well. They are bored. Sorry.
They also do not appear to have a dust bathing area. Dust bathing is a natural instinct.
I would at least install some branches in the run for them to get up on. You will also want to put a large tub of dust bathing material in with them. They like to bathe in heap together. I have used the large totes that roll under the bed to store clothing in as a dust bath. It works well if they cannot make a bathing site for themselves on the ground. You can put peat moss, soil, wood ash, dry dirt or any combination of these things in the dust bath.
Do you cover the "run" with anything when it is raining or snowing so they can still come outside?

 

[BDutch]

Good thinking dobielover! A dust bath is an essential.

A seed ball for fun is nice for a start.
What you could do is to build extra tractor run space with things in it. At least roosts and a dust bath e.g. a swing, an old chair, a crate.

Are you sure you're cats are hen killers? Most cats respect adult chickens. At least the ones that are kept as pets. We had/have a few killer cats in the neighborhood who eat mice and little birds. Some liked to threat the chickens. But there never was a real problem. And I have really small chickens. I let them free range a couple of hours on most days.

If you stay with the chickens and let them free range short before roosting time maybe you could try?

Btw if you want it real safe? I would make a permanent setup. A tractor run is not safe for foxes. They can dig under the run unless you have tiles or a hwc slab on all sides.

Don’t feel embarrassed learning. I started my first year with a small tractor setup too. Attached a framework with hwc panels and mesh to give the chickens more space. And made a permanent setup after a year of inconvenience.

 

[chrissynemetz]

A dust bath is fun for the chickens and it's also healthy for them. A head of cabbage or an apple hanging from a string can be entertaining. And something to climb or perch on.