Laying hens avoiding laying in the nesting boxes?

[Mrs. K]

I have never had this problem until two years ago, when a BA will consistently lay on a self created nest on the floor. AND the others follow. I have put buckets in her chosen spot - she moves it, I have put boards down on top of the bedding or just used feed sacks to cover the floor - but she just refuses to lay in the nests, that other birds have used since 1999.

Drives me crazy.

Mrs K

 

[mollygrace]

I have two nesting boxes that don't hold deep shavings either, like yours. What I found makes my hens happy is to have a little padding on the bottom so there is something cushy even when they kick the shavings out. And I have free padding by just putting in an old folded up feed bag! Then I cover it with pine shavings. They love it.

 

[Love Donkeys]

I have never had this problem until two years ago, when a BA will consistently lay on a self created nest on the floor. AND the others follow. I have put buckets in her chosen spot - she moves it, I have put boards down on top of the bedding or just used feed sacks to cover the floor - but she just refuses to lay in the nests, that other birds have used since 1999.

Drives me crazy.

Mrs K

A few weeks ago, my husband left the cab door open on our 100hp MF tractor. One of our hens decided that the tractor cab was her spot to lay her eggs. Now when Jerry is using the tractor the silly hen paces back and forth waiting for her "nest" to come back so she can lay her egg.

 

[Vicker]

Oh, joy. I've been trying to get this right for 20 years. I can train new layers to use a box with shavings/hay and another egg or two as an example. Just when everything is going well, somebody decides to change up where they want to lay. A few years ago, I shelled out (no pun intended) for a roll-away nesting box to prevent them from brooding or breaking eggs. It worked great until it didn't. For a while, they laid on the shavings underneath the box. This summer they decided it was too much trouble to walk all the way back to the coop to lay. Some of them managed to work themselves up under a cover on a round bale of hay and hollow out little nests on the side. One made all of her deposits on top of the bale. Now, they've chosen the corner under the coop roost, across from the neglected nesting box. I'm just keeping that spot clean and letting 'em do their thing now. I know it will change up soon enough.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

After reading your post, I just realized something about the way my rooster made nests for the hens, and how they responded to it: he made them deep and bowl shaped, and they used the 4 nests he did that with (one was in a thistle bush outside the coop, even) regularly. You mentioned earlier that the boxes are shallow, and that would prevent the hens from being able to curate a bowl shape. I also saw a friend's arrangement where they had two nests, and their hens turned those into nice, deep bowls as well. If you could raise the guard rail somehow, could you try adding more bedding? You could probably try that anyway, and see if they can make a little wall out of it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

After reading your post, I just realized something about the way my rooster made nests for the hens, and how they responded to it: he made them deep and bowl shaped, and they used the 4 nests he did that with (one was in a thistle bush outside the coop, even) regularly. You mentioned earlier that the boxes are shallow, and that would prevent the hens from being able to curate a bowl shape. I also saw a friend's arrangement where they had two nests, and their hens turned those into nice, deep bowls as well. If you could raise the guard rail somehow, could you try adding more bedding? You could probably try that anyway, and see if they can make a little wall out of it.

...... I think you are on to something. I will add more bedding to my neglected nests so they can make deep wells again. I think maybe they have abandoned some of their favorite nests bc the bedding (I use shredded paper) gets packed down. I'll fill 'em up and fluff 'em up and see what happens. Thanks! Rooster knows best!

 

[FunnyBunny89]

...... I think you are on to something. I will add more bedding to my neglected nests so they can make deep wells again. I think maybe they have abandoned some of their favorite nests bc the bedding (I use shredded paper) gets packed down. I'll fill 'em up and fluff 'em up and see what happens. Thanks! Rooster knows best!

Let us know if it works!
If you're interested, I buy these nesting pads and double them up because when I just used one per box, the rooster would scratch right through them. Now I lay one flat but pressed a bit against the back of the box, and then I fold the second one and press it into the front guard rail with a little overlap on the bottom pad. That way, we get the thickness of both, but also enough material for them to make a bowl out of it. So far, these pads have lasted for 5 months!

https://a.co/d/1q4XZC0

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Let us know if it works!
If you're interested, I buy these nesting pads and double them up because when I just used one per box, the rooster would scratch right through them. Now I lay one flat but pressed a bit against the back of the box, and then I fold the second one and press it into the front guard rail with a little overlap on the bottom pad. That way, we get the thickness of both, but also enough material for them to make a bowl out of it. So far, these pads have lasted for 5 months!

https://a.co/d/1q4XZC0

I tried those. They filled my boxes too full and the hens did not like them for that reason. They also got shredded too quickly.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

I tried those. They filled my boxes too full and the hens did not like them for that reason. They also got shredded too quickly.

Yeah. They do shred easily, but it isn't problematic for my setup. I think my nesting boxes are just extra large... they're 16" deep, 10" wide and 13" tall.

 

[ChookaPete]

I had straw on the floor of my coop, and my broody chook made a circle out of it, a well as you said. But the base of the well had no straw at all, just plain concrete! How on earth is that comfortable for her?