My EE is 11 months old, and the lowest one in the pecking order. For the past three days now, she has stopped using the nest boxes, she just drops her egg close to the run gate! We have 6 11 month olds, and our nest box is just a long one, no dividers. if we added dividers, the lenght should be enough for 3 nest boxes. Has anybody ever run into this problem? I wonder if I should go ahead and install dividers - maybe she's being scared out of the nest box by whoever is there and then can't wait any longer and just drops the egg?
Aw, poor girl. You're right on track. Someone has made it clear to her that she's unwelcome in the nesting box, and since she's the bottom of the order, she's accepted it. I think she'd definitely benefit from a divided nesting box. That way she's shielded from pecking if she just chooses the least desirable box and yeild the 'better' boxes to the dominant hens. For some reason there's always one box that all the dominants want, and always a box they don't. Hope that helps!
thanks - I will install dividers - I may try to create a bigger and a smaller nest boxes, as suggested!! I feel so sorry for her... she's so sweet, my favorite, but constantly pecked by the others... Her name is Puffy Cheeks, but the others keep pecking at her cheek and beard feathers... She'll have a nest box tomorrow...
