Laying eggs on the floor in the coop

[pattee]

My chickens have started laying eggs... a few anyway.
Well, one of these gals is laying her egg on the floor instead of the nesting box. Needless to say it's broken.

Anyone have a answer on how to correct this?

 

[Biddieacres]

I had two laying eggs on the floor also. I put some wooden eggs in the boxes and one day she hopped up and started laying in the box. After that I took the eggs out now they all lay in the box. You could try golf balls too if you don't have the wooden eggs.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I don't have nesting boxes yet...DBF has been a little lazy, but I've been getting at least 7 eggs a day and not one broken yet. It's fun to gather them - kinda like an Easter egg hunt! I'm hoping once I do get nesting boxes they will lay in there.

 

[whatsup chickenbutt]

is it under the roost? I had a couple of newbies drop eggs from the roost a couple of times and they obviously were broken, but then they got the hang of it and went to the boxes. The reason I ask is because i also have a hen who lays her eggs on the floor intentionally, and they are never broken, and over toward the corner. If yours are accidental also, they will probably move to a nest box before long.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
You can use dish pans. Some people put some carpet remnants in the bottom of the dish pans to cushion the eggs.

 

[pattee]

I've got plywood shelves that the chickens can walk on. Under their night time perch... and it seems that's where "she" dropping them~

 

[whatsup chickenbutt]

how many has she laid? I found probably 3 or so before she moved to the nest box.

 

[pattee]

This will be her second... all though she also maybe the one that laid one outside. So there's hope your telling me!!!

 

[digitS']

The insulated part of my coop, with the nest box, was not opened up until my pullets were nearly ready to start laying. I had to do some remodeling so they didn't see that room for the first 18 weeks of their lives.

One of the changes I made was moving the nest box away from the roost. With the last chickens I had, it was necessary for me to train them NOT to sleep in the nest box. But, the new location isn't all that easy for the birds to get to (there's a little ladder) nor even to see.

So, I've been moving them one by one into the nest box and teaching them to climb the ladder. I was out there about 3 times a day moving 1 or 2 chickens around

. They just spend a little time usually, checking it out.

If your nests are comfortable and a little secluded, they will like them. But, helping them realize that may require that you put them in, yourself. Of course, it helps to have pullets that are easy to handle. And once you've got 1 or 2 using the nests, the others should follow.

Steve