Managing a new layer with poopy eggs

[rosemarythyme]

I have a pullet that started laying on January 1st. First egg was in the run, no big deal, I trained her to the nest box and the second egg was laid in the box, no issues.

Every egg since then has been in a random spot in the run, often with poop on it, though I've always seen her sitting in the nest box before that. So when I noticed that she'd gone in to lay yesterday, I went in and watched her. Apparently what she's been doing is sitting in the nest box and then immediately before laying, walks out thinking that she's finished and literally "poops" out the egg.

I had grabbed her and blocked her in the nest box yesterday using some wire mesh. Now I'm wondering if it's better to:

1) Block her in each time so she can't walk away before laying, to train her to stay. Obvious downside is soiling the nest box. Also I can't reliably do this 100% of the time (like her egg tomorrow may be laid before I get up), since I'm having to guess when she's going to lay and then check if she's in the coop or not.
2) Leave the nest box unblocked so she can walk away to poop the egg out, if that's what she's going to do. Have to think that at some point she figures it out on her own as she adjusts to laying, as the second egg was laid without issue.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

She's a new laying pullet and hasn't gotten her oviduct kinks worked out. I wouldn't lock her in. I'd let her do her thing as she sees fit. If it continues another month, you may want to do something else.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't mind giving her time to figure things out, certainly wasn't enjoying the prospect of grabbing poopy eggs out of the nest box (which I did barehanded yesterday - yuck!). I'll update in a couple of weeks and hopefully I'll see some progress.

 

[aart]

The 'two way door' is glitchy or 'broken'.
That's how I think about it...doubt there's a fix.
Have had a few that consistently poop when they lay...SMH.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The 'two way door' is glitchy or 'broken'.
That's how I think about it...doubt there's a fix.
Have had a few that consistently poop when they lay...SMH.

I figured there'd be some physical component to this as well. Oh well, guess I'll just have to be extra diligent about wiping her eggs off. At least it's obvious which are hers since she's the only BCM.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just reporting back on this - happy to say that my pullet seems to have figured out staying on the nest to lay and to not poop on her egg (thankfully she figured out the latter before she figured out the former!) Guess having to lay right at dusk showed her that bolting for the run wasn't necessary when it was time to lay.