Pullet Laying Eggs From Perch

[Myjenny]

Hello,
I live in the Seattle, WA area, and this is my third batch of chickens since 2014, so I have some experience. However, Patty is stumping me. She is a Golden Comet, or Red Star, 5 months old (that breed has many names). I have had them before; and they lay the biggest brown egg almost daily. I have never had one lay in winter, though.
A few days before Christmas, she began cowering down when I approached, so I knew she was old enough to begin laying. Then a couple days after Christmas, there was a brown egg under the perch where she roosts. She has two flock mates, an Easter Egger and an Ancona; I do this on purpose so I know which is whose egg. I was surprised at the winter start, but the days had just become longer at the Solstice, and it’s been sunny. Next morning, another egg in the poop. The nesting boxes are right by the perches.
I followed some other online advice, and removed the perches last night. I also put some fake eggs in the boxes. (Sorry, Dora and Boots!) No one would get in the boxes, as long as I stood watching, they would approach and leave. So I shut them in and left. This morning, another egg in the poop, right by the opening, as far from the boxes as she can get.
I don’t want this to become a habit, or worse, teach the other two to do it. Any other advice, short of putting her and the nest box in a dog crate at night?

 

[Ridgerunner]

For now, patience. Many, if not most, pullets have control of the laying process from the start. But its a pretty complicated process, sometimes it takes a pullet time to work the kinks out of that process. Most catch on fairly soon but some take a week or two. Until then they may drop an egg wherever they are, from the roost or just walking around.

Part of that process are the different triggers that tell a hen when to start an egg through her internal egg making factory. One of the triggers is between when the sun rises and sets. That's to make the egg ready to lay during daylight. Your pullet may be having trouble with her sensors. Or are you keeping lights on? The sun can't rise if it never sets.

I've seen this several times. One time a pullet kept it up for two full months, laying from the roosts. That's just too long, something was wrong with her. So I ate her. All the others gained control in just a few days, I expect yours will. Then one of two things will happen. She might start laying in the nest, those fake eggs can help. Or she decides to make her nest some other place. If you ever start seeing her egg in the same spot every day, especially in a slight nest-sized depression, get back to me and we can maybe discuss some plans on how to retrain her.

The take-aways are that this is not unusual behavior and it practically always works itself out. Good luck!

 

[Myjenny]

For now, patience. Many, if not most, pullets have control of the laying process from the start. But its a pretty complicated process, sometimes it takes a pullet time to work the kinks out of that process. Most catch on fairly soon but some take a week or two. Until then they may drop an egg wherever they are, from the roost or just walking around.

Part of that process are the different triggers that tell a hen when to start an egg through her internal egg making factory. One of the triggers is between when the sun rises and sets. That's to make the egg ready to lay during daylight. Your pullet may be having trouble with her sensors. Or are you keeping lights on? The sun can't rise if it never sets.

I've seen this several times. One time a pullet kept it up for two full months, laying from the roosts. That's just too long, something was wrong with her. So I ate her. All the others gained control in just a few days, I expect yours will. Then one of two things will happen. She might start laying in the nest, those fake eggs can help. Or she decides to make her nest some other place. If you ever start seeing her egg in the same spot every day, especially in a slight nest-sized depression, get back to me and we can maybe discuss some plans on how to retrain her.

The take-aways are that this is not unusual behavior and it practically always works itself out. Good luck!

Thanks! I’ll give it a while, I usually have to keep chickens OUT of the boxes! And no, I don’t light them.

 

[David61]

Now get out before sun up and see if I'm right but it sounds like she has to lay that egg before its light enough to see to get to the nest. Just like Young chickens wait to long and can't see to get on the roost. I bet you its she can't see to get down to the nest. Here is a cheap fix. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HL3YHQX/?tag=backy-20
It should take care of the boogeyman hiding in the dark so she can get to the nest.
In a few weeks the nights will be shorter and she will not have to wait as long for day light.