Hens refusing to lay in private boxes that are adjacent, insisting on laying under growths of ivy?

[I Love Feather Babies]

Can you add another nesting box or two on the other side of the coop?

 

[sophiehatter1057]

I usually do not suggest locking pullets not yet laying away from the nests in case they start and they learn to lay somewhere other than the nests but in this case I'll make an exception. You have two separate issues. 1 - several pullets not laying in the coop & 2 - three pullets not yet laying that are bullying and feather picking when they are locked in the coop.

Can you leave those six locked in the coop most of the day, until they have laid. You can let them out later in the afternoon. Forcing them to lay in the coop for 3 or 4 days should be enough to retrain them but some are more stubborn than others. Leave the others locked out where they cannot cause any trouble.

I have never seen that type of behavior, pullets that are not laying bullying pullets that are laying. It just sounds wrong. The ones laying should rank higher in the pecking order than the ones not laying. But you are looking at then and I am not. Each chicken has its own personality and each flock its own dynamics.

I do not keep individual chickens, I keep a flock that has changeable members. I'm adding and subtracting all of the time. I want a peaceful flock that does not cause me heartache or a lot of extra work. If I have a chicken that is upsetting the peace of the flock I remove it. Sometimes I try some behavior modification, as you did with those pinless peepers, but if that fails they are gone. Since I eat my cockerels the problem chicken is often a female.

You often read on here that there is no need to keep a bad male as there are plenty of good males out there. To me, the same applies to the females. It is your flock, do as you will.

Great idea to split them!

I agree, it struck me as odd that the less mature ones would bully the more mature ones. The first to lay were the Easter Eggers, who have surprised me with their docility, while the non-laying edgy ones were the Australorps, who I expected to be peaceable.

I do recall that a couple of Easter Eggers went through resource guarding right before they started laying, so I had chalked this behavior up to that in the Australorps. In the case of the EEs it subsided after they started laying.

Because I'm using cat carriers for nesting boxes, I was actually able to enclose 2 of them yesterday, and they laid in the correct place yesterday and again today.

I had taken for granted that they would all learn from the 3 who were doing this correctly!

I appreciate the reminder that an animal that disturbs the peace of the flock isn't an obligation.

 

[sophiehatter1057]

Can you add another nesting box or two on the other side of the coop?

Yes! Since I posted yesterday I added a third box. Fingers crossed.

 

[NatJ]

Everything I have read here indicates that 10x10 is large enough for a coop, *provided that* there is access to a large run. You are saying it is okay to confine them 24/7 to coop only with no run access?

You are measuring in feet, right? If not, then everything I am about to say will be badly wrong.

A common suggestion is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. That means 9 chickens would need at least 36 square feet of coop and at least 90 square feet of run. That guideline is often mentioned and recommended on this site.

If your coop is 10 x 10 feet, that makes 100 square feet. That is more than 10 square feet per chicken. At that size, it is bigger than the minimum guidelines for a run.

It should definitely be big enough for your 9 pullets to be locked in as needed.

Of course it is always good to give chickens more space if possible, so I am not suggesting to shrink it, just saying that the size is so large for 9 chickens that they should not really NEED a run at all.

 

[sophiehatter1057]

You are measuring in feet, right? If not, then everything I am about to say will be badly wrong.

A common suggestion is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. That means 9 chickens would need at least 36 square feet of coop and at least 90 square feet of run. That guideline is often mentioned and recommended on this site.

If your coop is 10 x 10 feet, that makes 100 square feet. That is more than 10 square feet per chicken. At that size, it is bigger than the minimum guidelines for a run.

It should definitely be big enough for your 9 pullets to be locked in as needed.

Of course it is always good to give chickens more space if possible, so I am not suggesting to shrink it, just saying that the size is so large for 9 chickens that they should not really NEED a run at all.

Thank you!

 

[azygous]

Along with what @NatJ has advised you, when you go to build a new run for your young flock, design it with sections or wings instead of a plain rectangle as most everyone ends up doing.

Why? So that your chickens have complexity to relieve boredom and you have sections to pen a sick or injured chicken, a bully chicken, or a bully victim as I have at present.

My run is basically "L" shaped with that broken up into sections that can be closed off easily with a gate. I have the bully in one end of the "L", out of sight of the victim who is spending the days in the opposite end of the 'L" in another safe enclosure.

Over the years, I've also used these sections to brood baby chicks safely in the flock so no other integration is necessary. This has made keeping a flock very trouble free and enjoyable.

 

[sophiehatter1057]

What an awesome design! Definitely keeping this in mind!

Along with what @NatJ has advised you, when you go to build a new run for your young flock, design it with sections or wings instead of a plain rectangle as most everyone ends up doing.

Why? So that your chickens have complexity to relieve boredom and you have sections to pen a sick or injured chicken, a bully chicken, or a bully victim as I have at present.

My run is basically "L" shaped with that broken up into sections that can be closed off easily with a gate. I have the bully in one end of the "L", out of sight of the victim who is spending the days in the opposite end of the 'L" in another safe enclosure.

Over the years, I've also used these sections to brood baby chicks safely in the flock so no other integration is necessary. This has made keeping a flock very trouble free and enjoyable.