Nest box woes

[KreetchaKeepa]

I have a Rhode Island Red that won't leave one of the favored nest boxes. I've read through many of the "broody" threads here, and by y'alls definition of broody, she's not. She only stays during prime laying time. Today, her refusal to leave caused one of my other girls to lay in the run and one of my Barnevelder (not laying yet) girls pecked the egg in the run. I found it before she actually broke it completely, but I'm concerned she'll have a taste for fresh eggs now.

Ultimately, I'm looking for advice on what to do about the RIR. Should I boot her out of the nest box when she's hogging it?

 

[3KillerBs]

She may be thinking about going broody. It would do her no harm to spend a couple days in a broody breaker as long as you have a safe setup for it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rst-turkey-strut-to-weaning-the-chicks.76878/

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ultimately, I'm looking for advice on what to do about the RIR. Should I boot her out of the nest box when she's hogging it?

Some birds take longer to lay. To me, it's best not to interfere in pecking order.

There were other nest boxes available.. the bird that laid in the run is the problem to me.. Maybe add fake eggs to the other nest to make it more appealing if you haven't already done so??

Happy accidents happen in the yard.. they don't generally cause egg eaters. Fake (wooden or ceramic) eggs in the nest box also help deter curiosity pecks from becoming happy accidents in the nest which might lead to bad habits.

Hope you are enjoying BYC!

 

[KreetchaKeepa]

She may be thinking about going broody. It would do her no harm to spend a couple days in a broody breaker as long as you have a safe setup for it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rst-turkey-strut-to-weaning-the-chicks.76878/

Thank you for the link! Very informative!

 

[KreetchaKeepa]

Some birds take longer to lay. To me, it's best not to interfere in pecking order.

There were other nest boxes available.. the bird that laid in the run is the problem to me.. Maybe add fake eggs to the other nest to make it more appealing if you haven't already done so??

Happy accidents happen in the yard.. they don't generally cause egg eaters. Fake (wooden or ceramic) eggs in the nest box also help deter curiosity pecks from becoming happy accidents in the nest which might lead to bad habits.

Hope you are enjoying BYC!

I had wooden eggs in there for several months and recently removed them. I'm going to put them back in and see what happens. Thank you for your advice!

 

[3KillerBs]

I had wooden eggs in there for several months and recently removed them. I'm going to put them back in and see what happens. Thank you for your advice!

I never take my golf balls out of the nests.

I need more though because the POL girls kick them into the deep litter and lose them and I've had a couple blacksnakes eat them by mistake.

 

[KreetchaKeepa]

I never take my golf balls out of the nests.

I need more though because the POL girls kick them into the deep litter and lose them and I've had a couple blacksnakes eat them by mistake.

I put my wooden eggs back in. I hope it'll help. Ugh, snakes. I dislike them quite a lot. Give me the shivers!

 

[3KillerBs]

I put my wooden eggs back in. I hope it'll help. Ugh, snakes. I dislike them quite a lot. Give me the shivers!

I like having them around if they stay out of my chicken facilities.

We don't have a rat problem because of them.

Also, the old-timers all say that if you have rat snakes they'll keep the copperheads away.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Also, the old-timers all say that if you have rat snakes they'll keep the copperheads away.

People here say the same thinking about keeping bullsnakes around to scare off rattlers

 

[maryn7]

I had a RIR that absolutely just chilled out in the egg box for 2-3 hours sometimes. She was done laying, she was just hanging out (I think she was just taking a break from her sister who was kind of intense).

With my new girls, we had a lot of consternation because my laying hen always uses the far left box, so when the three POL pullets started laying, they also wanted to use that box (it was also just a touch bigger because the hen is a big girl). One tried to get in on top of her - glad I was there for that.

We widened the other boxes to make everything equal, and put the younger girls in the other boxes a few times when they were nosing around in the coop. We just kept putting them in the other egg boxes, and eventually one of them had to lay so bad, she accepted the new spot. Now the pullets use all three boxes interchangeably, though there is still a preference for the first box.

All of which is to say, if you've got a parker (rather than a broody), you're best off teaching the other girls that the other egg boxes exist and are cool. You're likely not going to change a bird that takes a long time to lay or who enjoys her alone time.

(Though double check her eggshells. Sometimes a long time to lay means they're struggling with the contractions; calcium can help.)