New layers and theyre acting so weird!

[crowber]

2 out of four chickens have started laying, and I guess we all need to figure out what is going on!

First of all, there are way too many hiding spaces in my yard, so when I don't get eggs, I don't know if it's because they're new to this, or if they are hiding them! I've only found one secret egg so far, and I worry I'll find others the hard way. I've been trying to run outside if I hear an egg song, but this hasn't helped.

Today, one chicken nestled down in a tight space under a bush for an hour, and I thought I was catching her in the act finally, but no egg.

Then my big JG, who's not my most social chicken, was acting very anxious. She kept trying to fly up to a closed window, which I think looked like a high dark space to her. She'd check under bushes, that wasn't good enough, coop wasn't good enough, she tried to settle into an upturned wheelbarrow, nope. I brought a cardboard box outside that she immediately jumped into, then dismissed. My adult daughter and I were sitting in the porch swing, and she jumped into my lap (she hardly does this) and was acting snuggly. Then she kept trying to tunnel her way between my daughter's back and the backrest. So we made her a little tent with a towel draped between the two of us, and she settled under there for an hour! We were trapped, wondering if she was going to lay an egg practically in our laps! Our unsocial chicken! Finally she got up after an hour and walked away! No egg and no longer anxious! What was that all about??

I made some curtains for the nest box thinking maybe they need more privacy? The two that aren't laying yet are super curious and always wondering what the layers are up to so maybe they are stressing them out lol.

But still, I haven't gotten an egg from my JG in several days, and her first four eggs were all double yolkers, so I don't know if there's a huge egg coming or what. She doesn't seem distressed, she was just temporarily super anxious and seems normal now but no egg still.

If any of this sounds familiar, let me know!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Wow! Your going to be laying double yolkers before this is all over with! Just reading it made me anxious! It was enough to throw someone into perimenopause for sure! Stressful business at your camp... gee wiz!

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

I would try putting a couple fake eggs in your nesting boxes.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Their personalities change as they hit laying age. Mine have generally become less skittish and more into being near me.

I agree with adding a couple fake eggs or golf balls to the nest boxes. It takes a bit but they will figure it out.

 

[aart]

2 out of four chickens have started laying, and I guess we all need to figure out what is going on!

First of all, there are way too many hiding spaces in my yard, so when I don't get eggs, I don't know if it's because they're new to this, or if they are hiding them!

Might be good to confine them to coop and run until the get in the habit of laying in coop nests.
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[crowber]

I was thinking I'd probably have to keep them cooped up for a while, so I'll try that. They do know to lay in their nest box, they've done it already, but it's just that the yard is so much more appealing for comfy hidden spots.

I'm still wondering about the super anxious nesting behavior that didn't end up with an egg. Is this a normal new layer thing?

 

[aart]

I'm still wondering about the super anxious nesting behavior that didn't end up with an egg. Is this a normal new layer thing?

Yes, they can mess up the nests and pace and b!tch and moan for days before an egg appears.

 

[lovesfarms]

It makes you feel sorry for a chicken that they have to go through such an anxious period for an egg... Then we steal it from them, our friends all congratulate us for our first egg!! What's in it for the chicken??... After so much effort!

 

[Panhandler80]

Yes, they can mess up the nests and pace and b!tch and moan for days before an egg appears.

Yeah, I went outside to feed some treats last night and about half the flock was just squawking and honking. Sounded more like geese than chickens. I think we're about to start seeing more and more eggs.

Might be good to confine them to coop and run until the get in the habit of laying in coop nests.
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

I'm wondering if I shouldn't try this with mine. My only concern is that they have somewhat tight quarters when confined to the coop and no access to the run. Keeping them there until mid-afternoon would seem borderline cruel. They come in to roost every night no problem, and they have 32 feet of usable / comfortable roosting space, but only 64 square feet of real estate on the ground. Keeping 21 chickens in there until mid-pm seems like it might be counter productive if it leads to stress and bullying... of which so far there has been zero. There are 5 nesting boxes, that are external.