need help with my nest boxes

[wowmanacat]

I moved into a place that already had a coop and I am having trouble with one of my chickens cracking her eggs almost every time. I just put the new hay in there like three days a go and she still lays them straight on the wood. Can any one help with ideas to revamp this or come up with new ones. The people that I am renting form build this and If I can improve on it that is ok.

This is what she does to the box which is 11 1/2 x 9 1/2 and 2 1/2 deep.

The two that I do have laying(when Thelma is laying ) both lay in the same nest. and that is the second one form the left. The last one on the right is now used since Louise poos in it at night.

I have this that I am cleaning and going to turn into a nest box. I am going to try and get more(I have to have kitty litter for the cats)

 

[Omran]

Quote:
Well I had the same problem and I think I am going to install plastic door matts with the kind of like a brush (soft brush) on them that way the hens can't dig my hay all the way out.

 

[wowmanacat]

This is one of the ideas that i had but am having trouble finding them.

 

[Omran]

Quote:
I am going to do some online search for it and if I get anywhere I will post it.

 

[wowmanacat]

I would really like to come up with a way to cover these so they will stop pooing in them at night. The end one on the right is full

 

[wowmanacat]

I have just found a old cooler with the lid broke off, you never know what you will find around this place. I should be able to divide it in two and then I will have three new nest boxes. I will have to come up with a way to cover the ones that are there for I really can not take them down just improve them.

 

[swmalone]

Mine dig down to the wood like that but I have never had a cracked egg, are your shells a bit on the weak side?

 

[Judy]

Shelf liner is fairly easy to find and one kind is sort of rubberized or spongy feeling. Lots of people use a couple of layers of this to pad the bottom of a nest. Easy to pull out and rinse off.

I've kept hens out of nests at night by putting a couple of empty gallon milk jugs in there. Anything that will take up most of the space will do.

Sometimes they will lay thinner shelled eggs in hot weather. They eat less and drink more so don't get as many nutrients. Besides oyster shell, you might up the protein a bit, as with BOSS.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Your roosts need to be higher than their nests and somewhere other than over the top of the nests, they should not be sleeping in their nests. Also you might try putting a layer of sand in the bottom of the nest boxes under the hay. Like about two inches.

Just a couple of thoughts.

 

[wowmanacat]

Quote:
she does not sit in it she stand on the edge with her rear over it. BTW the nest boxes are over 4 ft off the ground.