laying egg on floor

[mystang89]

Hello everyone. This is my first post and also I am completely new to raising chickens. I have a 4' x 8' x 6 1/2' chicken coop. There are 3 nesting bens all 13" x 13" x 13". Next to the nesting area I have a "ladder" that is about 4' tall and 2' wide. I have it leaning up against the wall as any ladder would be. I figured they would use that for their roosting. On the right side of the coop I have their little door/ramp so they can come in. I have 5 chickens, all White Leghorns. I just got them today and was told they were 18 weeks old or so.
Nooooow my problem. I went in tonight, around 10:30pm, to check on them. I wanted to see if they were roosting on the ladder or not. They aren't. They are all cuddled in the corner next to their little door/ramp. MMMkkk, so they don't like my ladder, fair enough, but then after I made them move I found they are also laying eggs on the floor in that spot. Not cool. I made a nesting area for a reason. I'm lazy and don't want go into the chicken coop area, which is completely covered so I would have to bend down all the way to the coop. I made a trap door in the back where I can just open it and take my eggs. When they are on the floor laying I'm less than happy. Please help. Thank you.

 

[nanawendy]

Try putting some golf balls or wooden eggs in the nests. I had to "walk "my first flock up the ramp ..." this is were you go to...." They finally got it. Welcome

 

[sharol]

Welcome to the world of chickens and BYC.

Try putting a golf ball in each nest box. Sometimes they figure if SOMEONE laid there, it must be a good place. Also, they may take a brief vacation from laying once the eggs in process get laid. Chickens seem to like to adapt to a place.

Does the ladder have round rungs? Can you provide them with a more traditional roost? Chickens like 2x4s laid on the side so that the 4" part is up to stand on. Their feet don't curve well around round roost poles.

They will get used to the new place pretty quickly. Be patient with them.

 

[SIMPleChick]

They are new to you and to your coop. They will just need a little time to de-stress and get used to your set up. Yes, at night, you can go in and place them on the roost and keep a couple of their eggs in your nesting boxes or wooden eggs. Just be patient and give them a little time to be re-trained to your way of things. It will all work out!

((P.s. They huddle when scared))

 

[mystang89]

Thank you all very much for the information and the speed with which you responded. The rungs are 1x2's. I'm not able to picture exactly what you mean by the 2x4 laying on the side. I thought chickens liked to be off the ground but it seems if the 2x4 is laid where the 4 inch part is up that they may as well still be on the ground. Like I say, I'm just not able to picture it well and I don't have the information in my head that you all have so please excuse the questions.
I have lots of gold balls so I will try that tomorrow as well.

 

[nanawendy]

The reason for the 2x4 is so the hens can roost comfortably, w/o having their feet wrapped around the smaller rung. It also helps them from getting frost bite on their feet during the winter (the feathers cover the feet.). The 2x4 laying perpendicular to the floor w/ the 4' side horizontal @ various heights.

 

[Mahonri]

My chickens have been roosting comfortably on two by twos for over three years now. I have some two X fours with the 4" side for them but they don't use them, they use the 2X2s.

Perhaps they would used the 2X4s if it ever got cold here. It never does in Phoenix.

 

[7L Farm]

I have 2x4 on one side & 2x2 on the other. It got cold here last winter & my roo had some frostbite on his gigantic comb & wattles but their feet stayed warm so I'd have to say either way works.

 

[ChillinWithThePeeps]

We just got some new hens a week ago and the lady we got them from did not have a hen house for them. She only had a roost in a chain link covered dog run that they slept in at night and were free range during the day. The first night we had to wait until it got dark and the 5 new girls were sleeping on the outside roost to move them into the coop. The 2nd night we only had to move 2 of them, then on the third night there was only 1 to move. By the 4th night, they were all in the coop together! We also have white wooden craft eggs (from Hobby Lobby-12 for $5) in our nesting box area. It seemed to work great! Our new hens were free range layers when we got them, but they started laying 2 days after we got them and they did it in the nesting boxes with the wooden eggs. It will work our fine, just be patient.

 

[sharol]

Hens are adaptable. When I moved my girls from the tractor run/coop to their new coop last fall (they were about 4 months old), we had to herd them into the coop the first night. The second night was easier, and within a week they were putting themselves to bed on the roosts.

MY little birds like to roost on the edge of the nesting boxes so that their tails are protected by the nest box (at least that's what I think they are thinking). The older chickens did that too, but they never set foot in a nest box to sleep once I moved them to the new coop. We will see with these. They like dark protected areas because it makes them feel safe.