Newbie with laying problems

[Raven81]

i have 2 orps (1 black 1 blue) that wont lay in the nesting boxes where everyone else lays they are both young girls, the black 1 will sit in a box for 20 mins or so then get out & lay her egg in the middle of the floor as she is running out of the coop. The blue 1 goes to the highest perch & lays there so it drops & smashes on the ground or hits a lower perch on the way down.
Any advice. is this quite common?

 

[coulter5]

How many chickens do you have?
How many nest boxes?

Some of mine have been laying in the pine shavings on the floor, but I know that right now
I have too many chickens for the number of nest boxes I have.

3 boxes and 17 chickens. I will fix this over the weekend.

 

[Raven81]

i have 5 boxes for 12 hens. i have seen them 2 deep in 1 box with all the other boxes empty so im guessing thats the fav box. i have also seen the 2 culprits laying where they do when all the boxes are empty.

 

[can you hear me now?]

Have you tried putting fake eggs or golf balls in the boxes to shoe them to lay there? That usually helps.as well. Mine are all new and all lay in the boxes.

 

[Judy]

You have plenty of nest boxes. Definitely try the golf balls or whatever. It seems to give them the message this is the place to lay.

Hope it works.

 

[tammyd57]

If they are both young, they just haven't figured it out yet. They'll see where the other hens are laying and soon follow suit.
My rooster likes to show the girls where he wants eggs laid. He'll herd 2 or 3 girls into the coop and then proceed to cram his big body into a nest and show them how comfy it is, fluffing the straw and 'arranging' the nest. Then he'll get out and wait expectantly like an impatient daddy. He's so funny!

 

[Raven81]

yes unfortunatly they do have fake eggs / golf balls in them. what i found really strange is when they 1st started laying in was in the boxes but now they wont. i tried shutting them in a little coop with only 2 boxes & a raised house with a small run but they layed under the stairs on the grass lol.

guess they have just decided i dont need their eggs so they will keep breaking them.

these are the culprits

 

[BWKatz]

Quote:

love it! But no roosters for me.

 

[Judy]

I think I'd try changing the nest boxes somehow. Chickens have a range of preferences, one will only lay in a open top nest, another only if there is a roof, etc. And I'd keep the golf balls anyway.

 

[Raven81]

that could be worth a try all my boxes are just wooden boxes attached to the wall just off the ground but lower than the perches. i might try enclosing 1 with walls & a roof & see if that helps.