Hens switched laying spot on me!- problem!

[Tbunny89]

Hi,

I have a mini pig and 5 chickens. Only 2 of them are old enough to lay. I bought the pig a big wooden house, and she filled it herself with hay and blankets. My older hens have started laying in the pig house. Instead of their coop! The pig house has straw and the coop has pine shavings.

the pig is eating ALL the eggs. I don't want to separate the animals bc they both need access to the free range area. Its just part of my set up. One thing I can do is to close the door to the coop and MAKE Them stay on their side. Would this show them the way back to laying to where they are supposed to?

I also ordered another dog house that I will build legs for and see if they want a new nesting area??

THANKS!

 

[Blooie]

Hi,

I have a mini pig and 5 chickens. Only 2 of them are old enough to lay. I bought the pig a big wooden house, and she filled it herself with hay and blankets. My older hens have started laying in the pig house. Instead of their coop! The pig house has straw and the coop has pine shavings.

the pig is eating ALL the eggs. I don't want to separate the animals bc they both need access to the free range area. Its just part of my set up. One thing I can do is to close the door to the coop and MAKE Them stay on their side. Would this show them the way back to laying to where they are supposed to?

I also ordered another dog house that I will build legs for and see if they want a new nesting area??

THANKS!

Pictures would help. I'm trying to imagine 5 hens using a dog house......it's just a set up for nesting, right? It wouldn't be their coop area?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If your coop is large enough to keep the pullets in for a few days then yes, that would aid in retraining them to using their nesting boxes. If the pig doesn't use it's housing during the day then I'd close that off for a while during days after the chickens are let back out of coop. Or just do that right from the beginning.

 

[Tbunny89]

I have one massive enclosure 20 feet by 10 feet, its attached to a open run..30 feet by 20 feet.

The pig house, the coop / nesting box is inside the enclosure. They are wanting to lay in the pigs dog house!

 

[Tbunny89]

THANK YOU!