laying location... on the roost? - HELP

[BankerJohn]

Found the second egg today.

It was broken.

We found the first egg up on the roost, balanced on the flat side of the board, 2 days ago. No egg yesterday. This morning, we opened the pen to find that another egg had been laid while up on the roost and it feel and broke.

I have 2 milk crates on the floor of the pen, each with a golf ball in it. The girls are not using the nest boxes.

How can I break the new and only layer from laying while up on the roost before the others follow her lead? Please help.

 

[Oven Ready]

They generally prefer nesting higher up than on the ground.

You can also just try sitting her in (and closing off the exit if needs be) one of the nest boxes before the next egg which should be about 26 hours from the last one.

Some of them take a while to get the hang of it.

 

[BankerJohn]

Help...

 

[Kittymomma]

It's ok. Sometimes they get a bit confused and taken by surprise when they first start laying and this happens. A few of mine did this in the begining, but figured out the nest boxes in a week or so. You can put fake eggs or golf balls in the nest to help them get the idea and in the meantime (what I did) pile the bedding up thick under her regular roosting spot to help prevent the eggs from breaking.

ETA: I went back and read your post better and see that you're already using golf balls so that is good. I really wouldn't worry about this behaviour catching on, in my experience it's more of a "what the heck is happening to me" kind of thing, not a "gee I think I'll go up to the roost to lay this egg" thing. She's just not sure what is going on in her little body right now, but I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon.

 

[sheaviance1]

Try nailing one of the milk crates up to the side of the coop. It may help.

 

[rdport]

Just learning. But, they do like to fly up to a nesting box...and if it has a cover..better yet. They like to think they are hiding.
But I think she will get the hang of it.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

This happened with one of my chickens too. Someone told me that maybe it was too dark in the coop in the morning when she was ready to lay her egg. I put a light in there on a timer and it worked. No more eggs dropped from the roost.
Good luck!

 

[42Chickens]

I have thirty something chickens that are right around the laying age. I can only find the Silver Laced and The Leghorn eggs. My 4 Welsummers are five months old I have not one egg from them. My two EE are six months and not one egg. Could the be laying in the yard somewhere? My husband and I have searched everywhere and still nothing. Most of the birds camw in Feb. and Mar. so they should be laying but we are only getting the California Whites and the Leghorn eggs.

DO I FOLLOW THESE BIRDS? We have about a four acre yard and they don't leave that very often. On occasion I wlil find them in the barn under the horses but not enough to look for eggs there.
Help me find my eggs! There are none or our yard is full of eggs! Happy Easter!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

It's ok, you have new chickens so they may not even know that they've laid it. If you can give them an option of different laying place. I know you have an A-frame but right now my brain isn't working as to where your nest boxes are.

Don't be surprised if you get a really scary looking mass of bleah. Basicly a shell-less egg. Happens a lot with new layers.

Pop a golf ball or even a wooden egg into your nestboxes, it may give them the hint.