I have 9 pullets, they are 7 months old. Only 1 of them (an australorp) is laying, been laying for 2 weeks. Then I added 2 bantam cochin that are 6.5 months old and are both laying. No one is laying in the nest boxes. One of the bantams lays next to the boxes in a corner. The australorp laid in the box once, on the poop board, and on the coop floor all other times. I sat in the coop today and watched the lorp as she got ready to lay. She goes into the nests, out of the nests, digs a nest here and there in corners, goes up on the roost and tries to dig a spot on the poop board, that is filled with PDZ, I got her down from there and put her in the nest. She finally settled down behind the food container and laid there. Why is she looking so hard for a place to lay? What does she want?
The other little cochin laid her egg yesterday on top of a board, just right on the wood!
During all this, my Cream Legbar was coming in and out of the coop, screaming her head off and singing the egg song and also looked like she was looking for a spot to lay! Why not the nest boxes! I tried keeping the fake eggs in them, Ive tried removing the fake eggs, It doesn't seem to make a diff whether the fakes are there or not! I'm going to make some curtains for the boxes, maybe they don't feel safe?
And...when the Cream Legbar is in the coop, she will not let the little cochins in. She chases them back out the pop door, then stands near the pop door waiting for them to try to get back in! So they can't come in to lay if she's in there. They also cant come in to roost in the evening until the Legbar is already up and roosting. Brat. What can I do about that? She is not the top or bottom of the pecking order. I swear these girls are killing me! My first flock had me spoiled by laying early, being friendly and always hitting the nest boxes.
The other little cochin laid her egg yesterday on top of a board, just right on the wood!
During all this, my Cream Legbar was coming in and out of the coop, screaming her head off and singing the egg song and also looked like she was looking for a spot to lay! Why not the nest boxes! I tried keeping the fake eggs in them, Ive tried removing the fake eggs, It doesn't seem to make a diff whether the fakes are there or not! I'm going to make some curtains for the boxes, maybe they don't feel safe?
And...when the Cream Legbar is in the coop, she will not let the little cochins in. She chases them back out the pop door, then stands near the pop door waiting for them to try to get back in! So they can't come in to lay if she's in there. They also cant come in to roost in the evening until the Legbar is already up and roosting. Brat. What can I do about that? She is not the top or bottom of the pecking order. I swear these girls are killing me! My first flock had me spoiled by laying early, being friendly and always hitting the nest boxes.
