- Jun 16, 2013
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Hi everyone!
Just started raising Organic layers last year and happily my girls layed all winter long, they are now about a yr old and I am experiencing a broody hen whom I have put into iso for a couple of days and all is well. My problem is the rest of the hens decided to start laying elsewhere in the barn hay and also in their boxes. I had originally had 4 boxes for 6 hens and they tended to gather all in one box, so to make more room in the coop I took 2 boxes out and it was going ok until the broody hen started. So I added another box - hopefully that will work. I put hay in it to imitate the barn atmosphere? Is it possible for them to be retrained to lay back inthe coop?
Another thing I noticed is one of my barred rocks is much smaller than the other hens , she is one who used to run with another RIR since they were chicks but now she is a loner and I noticed when I hold her and stroke her left side of her face and neck she seems to be headshy and her eyes close could she have any vision issues from a possible pecking problem?
thanks for any input you have available!!
Laurie
Just started raising Organic layers last year and happily my girls layed all winter long, they are now about a yr old and I am experiencing a broody hen whom I have put into iso for a couple of days and all is well. My problem is the rest of the hens decided to start laying elsewhere in the barn hay and also in their boxes. I had originally had 4 boxes for 6 hens and they tended to gather all in one box, so to make more room in the coop I took 2 boxes out and it was going ok until the broody hen started. So I added another box - hopefully that will work. I put hay in it to imitate the barn atmosphere? Is it possible for them to be retrained to lay back inthe coop?
Another thing I noticed is one of my barred rocks is much smaller than the other hens , she is one who used to run with another RIR since they were chicks but now she is a loner and I noticed when I hold her and stroke her left side of her face and neck she seems to be headshy and her eyes close could she have any vision issues from a possible pecking problem?
thanks for any input you have available!!
Laurie
and Welcome To BYC! You might want to lock them in the coop for a week or two to get them back to laying in the nesting boxes, and make the nesting boxes as attractive as possible, dark, easy to get to, fake eggs etc. If they have access to something as attractive as a hay barn though, you may be fighting a never ending battle, I find that putting "hidden" nests in places like a hay barn that are attractive to the chickens and just collecting out of them like normal is a good compromise. With the chick, you might want to post pictures of her face on the Emergencies forum if anyone sees anything to be concerned about, does she seem normal otherwise even if she is small? 
