How regular do chickens lay eggs ?

[Indoroowet]

I started early this year with our first 4, 5-day-old chicks.
Followed many of the suggestions posted all over the net,
and soon the chicks started laying.
I have three chicks left (one got killed by a dog ...)

Before they started laying, I did not have a nesting box ready.
They pooped at the opposite end of the coop from the door.
I had a 2 inch layer of wood shavings as a base.

Then they laid their first egg(s).

I added the nesting box, a 6 inch layer of wood shavings,
and the next day there were three eggs in the nesting box
and a few poopers in the nesting box.

What is happening now is that the regular place where they *used to poop*,
is now almost devoid from poop, but the nesting box is full of it !

Also they used to lay each, one egg a day.
Now since about 5 days, they only lay two a day.
I have no idea which chicken is doing the laying ...

Anybody know why they poop so much in the nesting bx and not anywhere else ?

Do I need to clean the poop out of the nesting box each day ?

TIA

 

[azygous]

The first year after pullets begin to lay, they're pretty regular, until they molt, then during their second year, they're also pretty regular layers. From the third year on, they will probably fall off considerably to maybe one, two or three a week. Three a week would be great, actually for third year layers.

As for the poop in the nests, yuk! Do you care if the eggs get poopy? If so, clean the poop out of the nests. Why are they pooping in the nests? If they're allowed to sleep in the nests, they will naturally poop a lot. Don't allow them to sleep in the nests.

There is another reason you may find poop in the nests. Occasionally but not often, some poop comes out when the egg is laid, for some reason, I don't know why. It happens more with some hens than others. I have this problem with a couple of my year-old Welsummers. Some of their eggs can be disastrously poopy. I clean the nest afterward and wash the eggs well in soap and warm water.

As some wise chicken-mama said on this forum not long ago, some chickens are tidy and some aren't.

 

[Indoroowet]

As for the poop in the nests, yuk! Do you care if the eggs get poopy? If so, clean the poop out of the nests. Why are they pooping in the nests? If they're allowed to sleep in the nests, they will naturally poop a lot. Don't allow them to sleep in the nests.

How do you make them NOT sleep in the nesting box ?
Did I make the box too big ?
It could hold two chickens !!

 

[patti17340]

My nesting boxes have a bar that you can put up to keep the chickens out of the boxes. I have read that people throw a towel or blanket over the nesting boxes for a few nights to the chicken learn not to sleep in them,

 

[Indoroowet]

My nesting boxes have a bar that you can put up to keep the chickens out of the boxes. I have read that people throw a towel or blanket over the nesting boxes for a few nights to the chicken learn not to sleep in them,

Hmmm ... , that will give me some idea on *tying* my automatic door closer to the nesting box, where hopefully a chicken at the time of the main door closing, is not *in* the nesting box.
Or ... , make another automatic door opener for the nestbox door ...


Do I need to add bedding in the other areas also ?

I have *peeked* in the nesting box at various times of the day, and they *seem* to lay between 09:00 and 13:00 hrs !

In order to find out if they *are* sleeping in the nesting box, I may have to hook up my *baby* CCTV monitor (*with* night vision) to the inside where I can *see* at night where the chickens are sleeping ...I have attached a drawing what is was like before the nesting box addition and what it is like now.