She's mad? starting laying in the run....

[cherylcohen]

Ok so we have 11 girls, all of a sudden they re maturing and starting to lay. My cuckoo maran has laid for about a week now but one ay during chickenTV I noticed that she was very unhappy when another chicken went in while she was laying. she got very upset, left the box and tried to crawl in with other girls that were laying but never did. I later that day found her egg (i think it's hers, even tho I have a welsummer about to lay too) on the coop floor.

I've found the same egg almost daily since then. So is she mad and laying elsewhere for privacy, is it my welsummer and the maran has gone on strike?

at any case, I have 3 boxes for 11 girls, do I need to add more?

 

[jeslewmazer]

Sometimes I have a hen or two that like to lay in a nest box that the opening is pointed away from the flock. I usually put at an angel in a corner, where the empty space between the nest box and the wall is kinda like a triangle, this is so she has plenty of room to get out.

 

[Kittymomma]

It wouldn't hurt to add another one. I think it's one nest box to four hens....Anyhow, I have 12 boxes for 20 hens because that is how my storage cabinet conversion worked out and they still only lay in three of them regularly. She might be low hen in the pecking order and getting pushed out of her favorite box. They can be downright silly about THEIR box sometimes.

 

[Farmer Benjii]

Quote:
Add, more, although all of them wont get used it gives them a "selection" oh and try adding a special one for her [ like a basket, a mini water tank cut in half those sorta things] and put here in it when shes about to lay.