One of my free range hens made a nest outside in a brush pile!

[mrcush]

I was wondering if anyone has ever had this problem. I have 4 hens. 3 of them started molting a few weeks ago. The one who isn't molting is a different breed than the rest. We noticed a few days ago that she had made a nest in a brush pile and has been laying in it. I was wondering if anyone had any solutions to this problem? She never did this before and has always laid in the nesting boxes until about a week ago. Do I destroy the nests she is making? Do I lock them in the coop and run for a few days (which I would prefer not to do but will)? I can't get rid of the brush pile until it's seasoned and we can burn it next year. Any suggestions or thoughts? Thanks

 

[Veer67]

I've had the same thing happen to me, my Easter Egger hens love to make nests in brush piles every so often they will change a location. But most of the time they will lay eggs in the nesting box. I have never had a problem with it, but you could try and see if locking them in the coop will help.

 

[donrae]

My free range birds nested everywhere! If I took all the eggs, they's usually find somewhere else to lay, and it would be another hunt to find the eggs. I never had luck with my free range birds laying in the nest boxes consistently.

Best advice I can give is either confine to the coop---either all day, or until she lays/early afternoon. Or, leave a sacrifice egg marked with a sharpie, golf ball or similar, to mark the nest and just collect eggs from it until you burn, then she'll lay somewhere else.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

..... Best advice I can give is either confine to the coop.... Or, leave a sacrifice egg marked with a sharpie.... to mark the nest and just collect eggs from it until you burn.....

I would do what donrae says because if you try to break her from laying in the brush pile she may relocate her nest to somewhere far, far, far away like Timbuktu and you may never find it.

 

[mrcush]

I would do what donrae says because if you try to break her from laying in the brush pile she may relocate her nest to somewhere far, far, far away like Timbuktu and you may never find it.

LOL! Well I have a fenced in back yard so she can't go to far