Redirecting hen to preferred nest location

[texsuze]

Belle is one of my new girls and began laying about 4 weeks ago. Rather than using a nest box in the nice Coop where she and all the hens spend the night, Belle prefers to return to the Pullet Palace (empty horse stall in the barn, tastefully repurposed for Belle, Hazel & Maxine ) where she spent her introductory couple of months with her sister pullets. I wanted to make certain the pullets had a successful integration to my flock of 2 older hens before decommissioning the Pullet Palace. The Coop has two nest boxes with nest eggs, plus a "hay bowl" nest tucked under the poop board, so enough choices, one would think. One of my older hens, Penny (another non-conformist ), also uses another location inside the barn to lay, instead The Coop, but I'm not changing her setup.

Would it be too traumatic if I were to collect Belle as she was tucking in to set, take her around to The Coop and place her in a nest box? I'd hate to create an eggbound scenario or too much stress. I've thought of just going ahead and closing off the Pullet Palace, forcing her to decide on another location, but I think that would be even more stressful.

Less satisfactory, but another option would be to take Belle to the Barn Coop where Penny has laid her eggs for the past 3 years. Perhaps I've waited too long before intervening but just hoping for some suggestions. Belle sees the nest boxes and hay nest every night when she goes to bed with the rest of the flock. BTW, all these locations I mention are within several steps of each other.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would just block off her access to it. She's laying in a place that is most familiar with her and feels the safest. Be aware she may choose something even less appealing to you, but hopefully not. Make sure there's fake eggs in the boxes you want to be used, and that there are enough so there's multiple choices. Sometimes older hens like to harass the new pullets out of the boxes.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I would start by shutting her off from the preferred nest boxes. Yes, it will be stressful, but chickens in the wild (ie. jungle fowl) would lose nests all the time to predators or weather. She'll be able to adapt. I'd also make the nest boxes you want her to lay in as appealing as possible. Shavings with a ring of straw for shaping is irresistible to most hens. Add some fake eggs, if needed, and encourage her to check out the new digs. You might have some wayward eggs in the meantime (especially if you free range), but chickens are very monkey-see-monkey-do. She should come around if all the other hens are laying there.

Edit: I think I posted at the exact same moment as the poster above me! Listen to them!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I agree with all of the above posts. Moving her while she’s trying to lay would be much more troublesome and she would end up going back anyway and you would end up having to block it off. It will annoy her but she will be fine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I agree on removing her access to her current nest site, but if that isn't enough and fake eggs aren't enough and you need to manually move her into the nests she should be using, she'll get over it. No she won't get eggbound. If she finds the nests suitable she'll likely calm down in less than a minute and settle in to lay. If she doesn't (like really hates them) then if there's a way to rig up the nest to enclose it that also works to keep them in there to force the issue. I had a pullet in my last batch who did not want the nest box at all, so I placed a wire dog crate in front of one (with opening facing into the nest) and gave her a choice: use the nest or sit inside the crate. She chose the nest and has used it since.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I agree on removing her access to her current nest site, but if that isn't enough and fake eggs aren't enough and you need to manually move her into the nests she should be using, she'll get over it. No she won't get eggbound. If she finds the nests suitable she'll likely calm down in less than a minute and settle in to lay. If she doesn't (like really hates them) then if there's a way to rig up the nest to enclose it that also works to keep them in there to force the issue. I had a pullet in my last batch who did not want the nest box at all, so I placed a wire dog crate in front of one (with opening facing into the nest) and gave her a choice: use the nest or sit inside the crate. She chose the nest and has used it since.

I love the simplicity of this idea! Man outsmarts dinosaur, without having to run around catering to the dinosaur's whims.

 

[texsuze]

Well, I blocked off access to the Pullet Palace and Belle decided to revert to Bush Chicken mode, laying her egg in the grove of trees in the barn pasture. Of course, the egg was discovered, cracked open, and eaten by some critter, or worse, one of her flockmates.

I've abandoned the idea of keeping Belle out of the Pullet Palace, as I have nightmares of creating an egg-eating flock of chickens while wasting Belle's beautiful blue eggs. I also worry that her two BA flockmates (still pullets but near point-of-lay) would take their cues from her and also start laying in the barn pasture.

Plan is now just to keep Belle's 'nest' location with the stall (a deep layer of pine shavings underneath a pallet hut) but slowly dismantle the remainder of the Palace. Belle continues to examine other nest locations in the barn and inside her coop, so maybe she'll change her mind. Chickens...

Thanks anyway BYC'ers for your advice.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I did mention that in my post above. Sometimes their new choice is worse than the old choice. Sometimes I just accommodate the oddballs, and know where to find their eggs.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Is there no way to confine them to the area where the nests are that you want them to use? When miine start to "lay out," I confine them to the run for about a week to re-home them to the coop nests. That always seems to work. For about a year.