My coop consists of 6 hens, 5 are currently laying and 1 rooster. They were all born the first of May. I have 4 1ft x1ft nesting boxes. They have a lot of room in their run.
Here's the situation. Miss "Fry" is obsessed with the nesting boxes. I put hay in them at first and she decided to remove the hay repeatedly. I thought maybe the kids were accidentally doing it while collecting but there was never any outside the coop. One day we sat there and added hay many times while watching her swiftly removing it just as fast as we could add it in. OK lady, no hay.
So next I laid pine bedding down. She scratched it out, picked it up with her beak and I'm confident I seen her try to use a hand shovel once. Fine bird, no pine bedding.
Next I purchased a burlap onion sack, cut it to fit, filled it with pine bedding and stitched it shut with yarn. Well this is partially exceptable to Lil Miss OCD because so far only one has been pulled apart at the seems. I'm however noticing the other "cushions" are showing signs of Miss "Soon-to-be-deep-fried's"s abuse.
When we go to collect eggs a white streak can be noted in the run and as soon as the collecting doors are open she is there to observe our actions in the boxes.
Occasionally during the am collecting times she has been known to sit up on the roost and when the collecting doors are opened she hops down intending to startle the invader into an egg dropping panic, hoping they never again return to mess with her boxes.
She has never pecked at us while we were invading her boxes. She has however broken many eggs while rearranging the laying quarters. The floor is the sticker tile on plywood so its not soft and I would like to have cushion for eggs.
If anyone has any advice on neurotic nesting box obsessed chickens I will greatly appreciate it.
Here's the situation. Miss "Fry" is obsessed with the nesting boxes. I put hay in them at first and she decided to remove the hay repeatedly. I thought maybe the kids were accidentally doing it while collecting but there was never any outside the coop. One day we sat there and added hay many times while watching her swiftly removing it just as fast as we could add it in. OK lady, no hay.
So next I laid pine bedding down. She scratched it out, picked it up with her beak and I'm confident I seen her try to use a hand shovel once. Fine bird, no pine bedding.
Next I purchased a burlap onion sack, cut it to fit, filled it with pine bedding and stitched it shut with yarn. Well this is partially exceptable to Lil Miss OCD because so far only one has been pulled apart at the seems. I'm however noticing the other "cushions" are showing signs of Miss "Soon-to-be-deep-fried's"s abuse.
When we go to collect eggs a white streak can be noted in the run and as soon as the collecting doors are open she is there to observe our actions in the boxes.
Occasionally during the am collecting times she has been known to sit up on the roost and when the collecting doors are opened she hops down intending to startle the invader into an egg dropping panic, hoping they never again return to mess with her boxes.
She has never pecked at us while we were invading her boxes. She has however broken many eggs while rearranging the laying quarters. The floor is the sticker tile on plywood so its not soft and I would like to have cushion for eggs.
If anyone has any advice on neurotic nesting box obsessed chickens I will greatly appreciate it.
