- Sep 9, 2011
- 104
- 1
- 89
I have five hens that lay, 3 lay every day ( leghorns) and 2 lay every other day ( Wyandotte and Domique/Jersey Giant ). The leghorns were here first, the other two came later. They have a coop and are free range during the day.
They keep moving their darn nest!
It's driving me nuts. I've gone through thinking they were eating their eggs, isolating them, almost culled one, walking like a crazy woman in my yard, under my neighbors brambles, closing them up in the coop, making another nest box for them, the list goes on.
It seems to be the legorns who are hiding their eggs. No one appears to be broody at all. We've found three nests so far. The first one had all white eggs, the neighbors found that one while cutting back brambles, it had about 15 eggs in it. We found another one next to their coop, at least that made my life easier, it had 18 eggs i it. I left two white eggs in the nest for them. We had some brown layers in that nest too. Two days later they moved to another nest! My husband found it under a bench, the next day with 8 eggs, we only found half the number of eggs the nexy day, so they moved again. What gives!
I can't tell if my removing eggs is making them move, or the barred rock laying in their nest is making them move. Also, many times the barred rock and wyandotte will lay eggs in the nest in the coop. I have no idea what is means. Does this mean someone may be in the cusp of going broody? Or do my leghorns just want their very own nest? I have a small run I can put them in and close them up until they lay and then release them.
They keep moving their darn nest!
It's driving me nuts. I've gone through thinking they were eating their eggs, isolating them, almost culled one, walking like a crazy woman in my yard, under my neighbors brambles, closing them up in the coop, making another nest box for them, the list goes on.
It seems to be the legorns who are hiding their eggs. No one appears to be broody at all. We've found three nests so far. The first one had all white eggs, the neighbors found that one while cutting back brambles, it had about 15 eggs in it. We found another one next to their coop, at least that made my life easier, it had 18 eggs i it. I left two white eggs in the nest for them. We had some brown layers in that nest too. Two days later they moved to another nest! My husband found it under a bench, the next day with 8 eggs, we only found half the number of eggs the nexy day, so they moved again. What gives!
I can't tell if my removing eggs is making them move, or the barred rock laying in their nest is making them move. Also, many times the barred rock and wyandotte will lay eggs in the nest in the coop. I have no idea what is means. Does this mean someone may be in the cusp of going broody? Or do my leghorns just want their very own nest? I have a small run I can put them in and close them up until they lay and then release them.
