Hidden Nests - a solution, maybe

[lcwmt]

Not long ago I posted about Kady, our Banty who likes to hide her nests. She'd not come to roost for a couple of days and we wondered how long she'd sit on her eggs before giving up.
We found her, sitting on 15 eggs, moved her at night, picked up the eggs. [they were all still good, FWIW]
She was not acting "broody" so we did nothing to try to break that behavior. It was more like a critical mass issue. X number of eggs triggered the need/desire to sit on them. Once the eggs were gone she was out and about doing all the usual daily chores.

It had been the intention to keep her confined a few days to "reset" her laying habit to an acceptable (to me) place.
Well, that did not work at all. She was so upset about not being with her group, paced around and around the little run, ever more frantically. She was not sitting in the nest box.... just pacing and calling. I let her out.
For a couple of days she stuck with her besties like glue. And did not leave eggs any place I could find them. The rascal.
On day 4 I found her new hidden nest, up against the house, behind a piece of scrap plywood. 3 perfect little bantam eggs.
We talked about her history of moving her nesting location once we'd found and taken the eggs. She has done this consistently for the year she has been laying. She finds a spot, uses it, we find the eggs, she finds another place. She has not gone back to a previous spot yet.
Lightbulb moment!
I replaced her eggs with 2 porcelain "fake" eggs. Every day she leaves a new egg right in that spot.
At this point we think we have our solution.
Maybe this will help someone else with similar issues.

 

[Naser]

Good trick
Thank you for sharing

 

[lcwmt]

Good trick
Thank you for sharing

Hidden nests is one of the hazards of free ranging. Our other hens are very good about the nesting boxes to the point of waiting and waiting and waiting until the preferred box is available. Not Kady. Fingers crossed that this does the trick over time.

 

[RWise]

I too use fake eggs for this, I have also found if I place a black fake egg in a nest they will stop using it,,,,

 

[aart]

Well, that did not work at all. She was so upset about not being with her group, paced around and around the little run, ever more frantically. She was not sitting in the nest box.... just pacing and calling. I let her out.

You could confine them all, the other birds might help teach the lesson of laying in the coop? Wonder what she will do in winter?

 

[lcwmt]

You could confine them all, the other birds might help teach the lesson of laying in the coop? Wonder what she will do in winter?

She has, in fact used the nesting boxes in the coop, scratched out a corner in the coop in the straw under the droppings board, made nests in the old decrepit greenhouse (a cozy place in Winter) .... She has laid in the compost bins, also cozy in cold weather... any place "far from the madding crowd" <G>. The sheltered spots against the house are her preferred places.
I wonder to what extent, if any, the fact she's the only Banty matters.

We're a fairly arid climate, snow tends to be very dry rather than the heavy wet stuff you get. That allows opportunities for dry sheltered spots regardless of weather. She only took 4-5 weeks off this past Winter when the days were very short.
We do not provide supplemental heat or light.

We are in the process of greatly expanding the coop. Once that is done (today??) confining all the birds can happen again if it seems prudent. We have pullets who should begin laying in the next month or so.... there will be more nesting boxes of course. The hens will still probably choose to only use ONE.
I'm waiting to see if I can create a "private place" in the new coop for this little bird <G>.

As an aside, these birds have names but are not pets... they have jobs to do: bug patrol (grasshoppers, ticks, etc.), soil amendment and aeration. They are very very good at these things but free ranging is required. And that does come with risk.
The eggs and entertainment are much appreciated benefits <G>.

 

[aart]

The hens will still probably choose to only use ONE.

If you use fake egg in all the nests, they will use them all....except that stubborn banty . The solution you have found using fake eggs, might be the best long term solution for her, hopefully she doesn't corrupt the other layers.

 

[lcwmt]

If you use fake egg in all the nests, they will use them all....except that stubborn banty . The solution you have found using fake eggs, might be the best long term solution for her, hopefully she doesn't corrupt the other layers.

We'll see about them using all the nests (more fake eggs are definitely a good idea).
One trick there might be to put all boxes on the same wall, same directional orientation...We found that when we moved them into the big girl coop last year they were more willing to use the nesting boxes that were set up , directionally, exactly as in their "grow out " coop.
re Banty corrupting the other layers <G>, there is an EE who likes to follow Kady's lead, the issue being that Janis is so much larger, Kady's little nests don't quite fit <LOL>.

Is it a bad sign that we are learning to see the world through chicken eyes?

 

[aart]

Is it a bad sign that we are learning to see the world through chicken eyes?

Nope...unless we over speculate.

Not sure about nest orientation....new coop can throw them all off...I thin if nest is easy to access and feels 'safe' it's good to go....after acclimation.

We'll see about them using all the nests (more fake eggs are definitely a good idea).

I've played with this a lot...no fakies they all want same nest, some fakies they use those, all fakies they use them all.

 

[lilapot]

Very clever... I've never had that problem, but I'll keep it in mind. @lcwmt Have you ever had any(other) problems of raising one bantam and the rest are normal? I'm thinking about breeds, because we are making an addition in the coop this coming fall.