New Layer laying eggs on coop floor

[BonnieBlue]

I had one of my easter eggers not lay in the nests for a couple of weeks after she started laying. Everyone here assured me that sometimes it just took a while, because I was hurting my brain trying to figure out how to get her to lay in the nest.

She was my first layer. When another started laying, she laid in the nest no problem. After a couple of times of her laying, my all over the place girl looked in the nests like "oh, THAT is what they are for" and has only laid one egg in the run. That was because she was on her way to the coop, and "oops, not in time" as I happened to be watching them on camera when it happened.

This forum has been wonderful for getting me, and the girls, through growing pains, since they are my first ones.

 

[Buddys mom]

My Easter Egger laid her first egg 4 days ago inside one of the nesting boxes. Her next egg was on the floor of the coop right below the nesting box so I assumed she was figuring things out and maybe stuck her butt out the wrong way. Today I found another egg smack in the middle of the coop, so Im guessing at this point it's not an accident. The floor she's laying on is plastic, much like the plastic flooring in a dog crate. I don't have any bedding on the floor in there so it's not like she's mistaking it for nesting material. I have three other pullets who have been laying for a while inside the nesting boxes, and also keep wooden eggs in each one. What do I do??

When one of my EEs laid her first egg I happened to be cleaning the run when she came out of the nesting box. I looked in the box but it was empty. She was walking around picking at her butt area and when she turned around I saw an egg sticking to her feathers. I went over and was able to easily take it off her. So I guess that it would have fallen off somewhere in the run if I wasn't there.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Our BLK AUS have never used the nest boxes. They lay in a corner. Maybe the wooden decoy eggs have 'em spooked. I don't care I'm still getting eggs.

 

[Mrs. K]

^^^^ I am glad to hear that about your BA's. I have had chickens for years, and have had an occasional BA. The last two years, I got two BA's, One lays properly in the nests, but the other one, no matter how I have tried to discourage it, makes a nest in the bedding on the floor, and lays her egg there.

As for the original poster - when pullets start - they will lay all over, but generally, except for Mrs. Black, eventually lay in the nests.

Mrs K

 

[ForFlocksSake]

^^^^ I am glad to hear that about your BA's. I have had chickens for years, and have had an occasional BA. The last two years, I got two BA's, One lays properly in the nests, but the other one, no matter how I have tried to discourage it, makes a nest in the bedding on the floor, and lays her egg there.

As for the original poster - when pullets start - they will lay all over, but generally, except for Mrs. Black, eventually lay in the nests.

Mrs K

Thanks Mrs K!

She seems to have figured out the nesting box now. silly chickens.

 

[PMD PerformanceHorses]

You could try putting a bucket on the floor beside the nesting boxes.
Also try using fake eggs, they really helped for me with new layers

 

[5Australorpasaures]

^^^^ I am glad to hear that about your BA's. I have had chickens for years, and have had an occasional BA. The last two years, I got two BA's, One lays properly in the nests, but the other one, no matter how I have tried to discourage it, makes a nest in the bedding on the floor, and lays her egg there.

As for the original poster - when pullets start - they will lay all over, but generally, except for Mrs. Black, eventually lay in the nests.

Mrs K

I will say in past yrs all our BAR RKS and RIRs all used the boxes. Birds, they don't read the book.