Protecting the golf ball!

[cuckoo mama]

Ok I have two slw that just started laying this week. One (skitz) yes the shoe fits she is a fruit loop,has always been very fond of one of the nest boxes even before her first egg yesterday. She will sit in the nest and pluck her chest. She chases all of the other girls out of this specific nest. Her sister started laying first on Sunday but layed her egg in the middle of the coop. Two days later another egg in the middle of the coop. So I put golf balls in my nest boxes trying to convince her to lay in them. Well now skitz layed her first egg yesterday in the middle of the coop. Nobody will lay in the nest boxes, but skitz has become aggressively protective of her favorite nest and the golf ball go figure. So what do I do? Should I just take the golf ball out and see if she calms down. Is there another way I can convince my crazy chickens to lay in the nest boxes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[aart]

It can take up to a month or so for them to get the egg laying thing smoothed out.

The protection of the eggs(golf balls) and pulling chest feathers is a broody behavior....
......let's hope she's just pretending.

 

[cuckoo mama]

Should I remove the golf balls to try to discourage the broody behavior.

 

[aart]

Should I remove the golf balls to try to discourage the broody behavior.

Nah, broodiness is hormonal......and she's probably not really broody....the golf balls will entice them to lay in the nest.
They can act really weird the first month or so.

 

[cuckoo mama]

Ok thanks for the help!