I've a question for the BYC wise owls. (Experienced Chicken Owners). Part of my precious flock lay in their nest boxes. However, some of my precious birds have fashioned a nest under the roost and are laying in that next. I use the deep litter method under the roost. My questions are; Should I care if some of the birds are NOT laying in the nest boxes? Or, should I allow my girls to continue on laying where ever their precious hearts desire?
it depends on if you are ok with it if you don't mind picking them off the floor it won't matter but if you don't want to have to pick them up then you can put ceramic eggs in the boxes to encourage them to lay in them .
Chicklover: Thank you. Since you are of the opinion that laying under the roost is okay, I'll let them have at it. I shucked about four dozen clams this morning for clams casino. When I shuck, I use scissors to remove the guts, then, I dice the rest of the clam meat for casinos. Do you reckon it would be okay to feed the guts to my birds?
I agree that under the roosts is fine as long as you are willing to retrieve them from there and the eggs are not getting poopy. Personally I don’t like poopy eggs. If they are getting poopy, you can maybe build a nest that has a top and set it down there. Put a fake egg, I use a golf ball, and see if they will lay in there. Or maybe put in a droppings board to collect the poop and protect the eggs. I built a permanent brooder under my roosts and use the top as a droppings board. It works for me. There are almost no real rules for much of anything to do with chickens, mostly it’s personal preference and what works for you.
Also if you plan to hatch your own eggs, it is important for them to be clean and if your girls are laying on poop, then you have a problem although you can disinfect them, it is better to have them lay in nest boxes.
