MY Son made a great discovery!!!!

[cthrash1]

We were putting up the kids and collecting the end of day eggs and DS yells EGGS!!! Huh? Well we found out why my Millies haven't been laying lately. This is the 3rd time they've changed location...I think they don't like their eggs taken. There were 5 eggs in a little makeshift nest in between some lumber. Time to start hunting for the Ancona eggs now because she hasn't layed in over a month now for some reason. If she's moulting then her feathers are coming in as she's moulting them because she has none missing.

 

[chickenannie]

If yours free-range, you can always lock them up in their coop with their nest boxes for 2-3 days and it will train them to start laying in the nest YOU want them to lay in again.
However if they're molting, they may have just stopped laying, like you said.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Hens can be real sneaky when they want to be

 

[cherig22]

lock them up in their coop with their nest boxes for 2-3 days and it will train them to start laying in the nest YOU want them to lay in again.

I may have to do that myself. Durn birds almost line up for one nest they have made on a hay bale in the barn. They have 8 nesting boxes, and they use hay bales and a flowerpot in the stable.

Cheri​

 

[chickenannie]

Quote:
I may have to do that myself. Durn birds almost line up for one nest they have made on a hay bale in the barn. They have 8 nesting boxes, and they use hay bales and a flowerpot in the stable.

Cheri

Maybe put a "haybale" nest in their coop? if they like that.
I've heard that hens like habits more than anything. They feel "safe" laying eggs where the other hens are laying. So it may not even be that they like the haybale better, but just that one started it, and the others felt safe, and after one lay, they have a habit going.

 

[cherig22]

might work, hmmmm.

We just found another cache of 10 eggs. Last cache we found had 24 eggs in it. Crazy chickens......

Cheri

 

[cmom]

Mine do lay in the nest boxes but they do prefer certain nests over others. I have had 3 at a time in one nest.