Nesting Box Materials Question

[DeAZ]

I have a 24.5 week old girl that has been laying for 9 days now. Today I got my sixth egg. I think it is the same one, as three are EE's, and all 6 eggs have been the exact same color. Also, she is the only one squating. If I have two laying, the other is not showing signs for me to pick up on. Is it normal for a chicken to lay so well right off, or is there a better chance I have two laying?

Anyway, regarding nesting box materials. The six eggs have been laid all over the place. Two in different nesting boxes, one on the coop floor, and 3 in the run, the last two being in the exact same spot. This morning I watched her from my kitchen window, all nervous, and kept going to that spot to really dig into the sand to lay. Sure enough, that is where she laid the egg.

The nesting boxes have faux grass pads, so it isn't something to dig into. Should I replace the pads with sand or shavings so she can make her nest to lay? I got the materials yesterday to build a better lip on the boxes to hold sand or shavings. The coop has sand as the material on the floors.

I'll hang up and listen.

I use aspen nesting pads with mine, and they can dig and shape the nest as needed. I put fake eggs in my nest boxes and all of the eggs have been laid in the nest boxes. I hope this helps.

 

[The crazy Poultry hoarder]

I have a 24.5 week old girl that has been laying for 9 days now. Today I got my sixth egg. I think it is the same one, as three are EE's, and all 6 eggs have been the exact same color. Also, she is the only one squating. If I have two laying, the other is not showing signs for me to pick up on. Is it normal for a chicken to lay so well right off, or is there a better chance I have two laying?

Anyway, regarding nesting box materials. The six eggs have been laid all over the place. Two in different nesting boxes, one on the coop floor, and 3 in the run, the last two being in the exact same spot. This morning I watched her from my kitchen window, all nervous, and kept going to that spot to really dig into the sand to lay. Sure enough, that is where she laid the egg.

The nesting boxes have faux grass pads, so it isn't something to dig into. Should I replace the pads with sand or shavings so she can make her nest to lay? I got the materials yesterday to build a better lip on the boxes to hold sand or shavings. The coop has sand as the material on the floors.

I'll hang up and listen.

I use shavings but it doesn't matter that much

 

[BonnieBlue]

You might try putting and egg in 2 of the nests and leave one without.
I had a pullet that kinda afraid of them at first.
I've never used sand or fake grass, not sure if some wood shavings or straw might help or not.

Thank you. The way the first two laid in the run were used as soccer balls, I'm hoping I can get Sassy laying in the nesting box. I'm open for any suggestions. On the second one laid in the run, I went back to my security camera. I saw one of them kick it out of the corner it was laid in, and it wasn't a gentle nudge. How those first two were not broken is pretty amazing. That's why when I saw her acting the way she was this morning, I figured she was about to lay, and in that corner again, and was able to retrieve the egg right after she laid it.

 

[BonnieBlue]

I use aspen nesting pads with mine, and they can dig and shape the nest as needed. I put fake eggs in my nest boxes and all of the eggs have been laid in the nest boxes. I hope this helps.

I'll look up those pads. Thank you.

 

[kismit]

one of my girls can't make up her mind when or where to lay. some of its anxiety, she's the smallest of the lot and near the bottom of the pecking order. some of its someone higher up the order is already in the bestest nest box evar. i've got a wooden egg i use in winter when there's a chance of eggs freezing if left overnight.

 

[BonnieBlue]

Yesterday, Sassy laid an egg in that same corner. I watched her lay it from the kitchen window again, so I have no doubt it is her. I removed the faux egg from one of the nesting boxes, and left a faux egg in each of the other two. This afternoon, I am going to try to make some alterations to the boxes and add shavings to one. I figure that at this point, it can't hurt, since she is the only one laying so far. Anything to get the notion out of her head that the corner of the run, is THE place to lay.

One of my Olive Eggers is squatting now, so when she starts laying, hopefully it will be in the boxes.

@kismit , at least I can see the corner she is laying in can be seen from my kitchen window. (Of course, it is the only area of the run that can't be seen from my security camera.) I now know to look out there whenever I go into the kitchen. A lot better than going out in there to look when it is raining all day!

 

[K0k0shka]

Chickens, even young pullets, aren't surprised by an egg coming out that finds them standing in the wrong spot with no time to reach a nest. If anything, it's the opposite - they spend a long time before the egg comes out, getting ready or pacing or yelling or acting anxious/nervous. So it's not that it found her in the wrong spot and she just dropped it there. She's just inexperienced and trying to find a suitable spot to make a nest. What we build for them and is obvious to us as the right place to lay, isn't always so obvious to them - sometimes they have other design preferences What I have found is that they like to rearrange the nest before settling in it. They'll pick up pieces of the material and move them around, fling them behind their backs, pull them closer, etc. So a bedding material that has discernible pieces to be picked up and rearranged would be better. That means sand or fake grass pads may not be ideal (personally I'd never heard of sand used as a nest material). What I have in my nests is hay, and it works great. The strands are long and intertwined so the material holds together and isn't easily kicked/spilled out like shavings are. And hay isn't hollow tubes like straw is, so less risk of mites finding hidey spots in the hollow spaces.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I use a one of those plastic nest pads with shavings (hemp) on top. This prevents the eggs from ever hitting the hard bottom of the nest box, but also gives them bedding to arrange. Bonus is it gets them used to the plastic pad should I ever need to switch to rollaway nest boxes.

 

[BonnieBlue]

Chickens, even young pullets, aren't surprised by an egg coming out that finds them standing in the wrong spot with no time to reach a nest. If anything, it's the opposite - they spend a long time before the egg comes out, getting ready or pacing or yelling or acting anxious/nervous. So it's not that it found her in the wrong spot and she just dropped it there. She's just inexperienced and trying to find a suitable spot to make a nest. What we build for them and is obvious to us as the right place to lay, isn't always so obvious to them - sometimes they have other design preferences What I have found is that they like to rearrange the nest before settling in it. They'll pick up pieces of the material and move them around, fling them behind their backs, pull them closer, etc. So a bedding material that has discernible pieces to be picked up and rearranged would be better. That means sand or fake grass pads may not be ideal (personally I'd never heard of sand used as a nest material). What I have in my nests is hay, and it works great. The strands are long and intertwined so the material holds together and isn't easily kicked/spilled out like shavings are. And hay isn't hollow tubes like straw is, so less risk of mites finding hidey spots in the hollow spaces.

I've watched Sassy spend a good hour or so pacing nervously while looking for the right spot. She gets the sand in the corner she like just to her liking. I don't have any straw or hay, but I did have shavings, so I put that in one of the boxes, after adding increasing the lip some to hold it in.

I use a one of those plastic nest pads with shavings (hemp) on top. This prevents the eggs from ever hitting the hard bottom of the nest box, but also gives them bedding to arrange. Bonus is it gets them used to the plastic pad should I ever need to switch to rollaway nest boxes.

Good idea. I need to put the plastic pad back under the shavings. I took it out to wash while I was at it. I can't right now though, as everyone is in the coop staring at the nesting box, fascinated that there is something new there. They never cease to crack me up with their curiousity! lol

 

[BDutch]

personally I'd never heard of sand used as a nest material).

I use sand under the nesting mixed with Diatomaceous earth and tabacco (mite prevention). On top are shavings and hay most of the time, straw and hay in winter when its cold and they start to lay again.
Last summer when I had more bedding, less DE, 8 week old chicks and red mite, I removed all the bedding and added extra sand mixed with Diatomaceous earth.
I’d wish I had done that a few weeks sooner. Maybe I will do this again if the temp rises again above 25-30 C.