One chicken laying on coop floor

[Yogi Hollow Farm]

What bedding is in the nesting boxes?

Wood chips

 

[Shadrach]

Hen as she has started laying. (That’s my understanding of when she moved from being a pullet anyway!). We have about 8 laying from same flock that grew up together

A pullet is a female chicken under one year old. So she's a pullet and a first time layer.

 

[Yogi Hollow Farm]

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[City Farmer Jim]

We have a hen(just turned 1 on the 10th) that laid her first 3 eggs outside, then she started using the coop, YES ON THE FLOOR for the next 20 plus weeks then Labor Day weekend she FINALLY decided to use a nest box. She is number 2 in quantity laid..its a chicken thang I guess and we are glad she is laying

 

[Yogi Hollow Farm]

A pullet is a female chicken under one year old. So she's a pullet and a first time layer.

So all 11 of my layers are pullets everyone.

 

[chickenlittle21]

Wood chips

Try using a different bedding in the nesting boxes like sand, straw, or hay

 

[Yogi Hollow Farm]

We have a hen(just turned 1 on the 10th) that laid her first 3 eggs outside, then she started using the coop, YES ON THE FLOOR for the next 20 plus weeks then Labor Day weekend she FINALLY decided to use a nest box. She is number 2 in quantity laid..its a chicken thang I guess and we are glad she is laying

Haha for sure...grateful she is laying! Thanks for all the helpful and fast advice! Wow!

 

[Yogi Hollow Farm]

Try using a different bedding in the nesting boxes like sand, stray, or hay

Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just thinking aloud: since you have plenty of nest boxes, maybe try having one nest box without a curtain? Might be more appealing to her, who knows?

To your knowledge has she ever used the nest boxes? When you placed her inside a nest box to show it to her, how did it you do it? Just picked her up at a random time and put her in, and then let her out? What I do when trying to train a bird to use nests is:

I learned the problem bird(s) laying schedules, and when they went to their preferred spot to lay, I'd go and pick them up, stick them in a nest box, and barricade them in using my arms to cover the exit. 30-60 seconds was all they needed to calm down and start exploring the box and decide that maybe it wasn't such a bad place to be. They each started reliably using the boxes after that.

Alternatively, some folks design "doors" on their nest boxes so birds can be locked in, which basically does the same as above, but forces the bird to stay in the nest box (whereas once I see them exploring and sitting down in the nest, I leave them to it and walk away).

 

[aart]

We were going to add a nest on the floor away from the roosts but I don’t think that’s a good idea and may encourage others to lay there.

No not a good idea.
Give her time....keep a fake egg in the nests.
Changing things frequently could put her off, and/or the others, even more.
Pics of your nest might help here.