Silly chickens!

[Firefyter-Emt]

So we have six chickens and three nest boxes... I figure this should be more than enough, Right? Well my girls have decided that "some" of them need to lay eggs in the tiny space under the nest boxes. Not only that, but they have made a "nest" right under each nest box and now FORCE me to have to open both the really cool egg door I built into the coop, as well as reaching way into the coop to gather eggs under the boxes! I thought I was doing so good because the "first layers" were using the nest boxes right from the start.

I guess I can not complain, we are at about 26 weeks and I think all chicks are laying close to daily now. Made fresh egg nog today with our eggs.

PS, to get an idea of how little room they have under there...
Now remember, there are wood shavings that used to be pretty close to the bottom of the nest boxes. I think they had about 3" from the bottom board to the shavings, so they really had to dig out these holes! It does not matter if I fill them in, they are back the nest day.

 

[Chicken Woman]

Do you have wooden eggs in the nest boxes with some nesting material ?

 

[Renee]

Is it possible to affix a piece of wood to span the spaces under the nest boxes?

That looks like a really cozy and well-designed coop, by the way.

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

When I first put the girls in the coop, they were banned from the nest boxes with hardware cloth. I opened it to them at 18 weeks and about 20 weeks, they received wooden eggs. I took them out when they started to lay. We have been getting eggs for maybe three weeks now and just the last week or so some of the girls are laying under the nest boxes.

The girls are a "little" spoiled and have a nice heavy bedding of shavings in the next boxes. I keep the shavings deep and swapped out every couple months. My coop fills deep with one full bag of shavings so it is easy and not expensive to do so. I think it may be four times a year it will be changed, maybe six.

Yes, I very well may close it off, it would be much easier to clean the shavings and they are wasted under there now.

PS, Thanks for the coop comment. I am very please with the way this came out and to date it has been 100% problem free. The only minor change I need to make is to add a deflector board to the rear door. I have a 1x6 board that slips into place at the floor so it can be removed for cleaning. I left about 1" between the door and the board and the chickens love to scratch shavings into that gap. This leaves me with a "flow" of shavings when I open the back door (daily now!) I plan to attach a filler that will cover the space when the door is shut.

 

[Lee]

Silly is a mouthful. MY OEG hen lays anywhere she pleases and being she is so small that can be in the most unhandy of places. But one time I happen to find 7 of her eggs on top of a blue barrel. Just the hard top of a blue barrel. Go figure! LOL

 

[cmom]

That is a really nice coop.