Stopped using nest boxes?

[NHMountainMan]

I have 4 reliably laying pullets - a RSL, a Bresse, a Whiting true blue and an Easter Egger. Since the days started lengthening they have started laying. Only the RSL was laying in the fall. For the first few weeks of laying, the EE and the WTB have stated laying on the coop floor, no longer using the nest box. I'm getting 2 blue eggs, every day, in a corner of the coop, buried in the pine shavings.

Any idea why they would stop using the nest box? advice to get them back in there? Where they are laying, the eggs are in a very tough spot for me to reach.

I have 2 other pullets, a Flarry eyed grey and an Orloff. One of them has started laying in the past 2 days - leaving an egg outside in the run, first thing in the a.m.
Any idea why she's laying outside? The weather has been unseasonable mild - mid 30's during the day and teens at night, and no snow lately.

Any advice?

 

[DiYMama540]

My girls go through this regularly...they all decide to boycott the nest boxes and then the egg hunt is on!
Once I find their new nests, I always destroy it, then leave a couple of those eggs back in the best nest box. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Could the one laying eggs in the run be bullied away from the nests by the others?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How are your nesting boxes set-up? Can the hens get into them easily?
You can try putting fake eggs or golf balls in the nesting boxes to help encourage them to lay where you want them to.

I do have a couple of hens that seem to want more "privacy" or darkness, whatever and won't use the nesting boxes. Seeing their eggs in the corner or underneath the nesting boxes sometimes seems to "prompt" others to lay their egg there too. My corners are hard to reach as well, unless I take the time to raise the roosting bars to get underneath, SO... I got myself a grabber to reach those tough spots. Not necessarily the "best" solution since it would be nice if all my layers would use the nesting boxes, but they simply don't.

You can get a grabber on Amazon for around $10-12. Fake eggs can be found on Amazon as well (MY Favorite place to shop LOL)

Lastly...do inspect your hens and the nesting boxes to make sure that lice or mites are not a problem. Bugs would make them not want to use the boxes too.

Leaving one in the run...every once in a while I may find that. Either a favorite laying spot is taken by a more dominant bird and the hen just pops it out or I might find one if it's a new layer.

Hope that helps.

 

[Criticalicious]

I leave a ceramic egg in each nest box all the time, to encourage laying. More often than not, I'll find each day's eggs piled in the same nest, but a different nest each day. New layers or hens returning to laying sometimes have a surprise egg that ends up outside the nest box or under the roost.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When pullets first start to lay many of them have control over the whole process. But it is a complicated process. There are different triggers to tell them when to release a yolk to start that process so the timing is such that they lay it during daylight. Many know ahead of time to start looking for a suitable nest, others don't. Some can delay laying the egg if they need to, or know to go to the nest when the time comes. Others seem to be totally surprised that an egg is coming and drop it wherever they are, on the roosts at night or just walking around. It's not just about making the egg, it's about laying the egg. If you are finding the eggs in random spots they haven't gained control of the process. If the egg is in the same spot every day, that is where they want their nest.

I don't know why a pullet or hen changes her nest. You can speculate as to why until the cows come home and may not get it right, especially if it is only one or two. If you post photos of your nests we may be able to come up with suggestions, many of them probably conflicting. I've seen so many hens laying in so many different spots I don't think they all have the same preferences. One thing I would suggest is to check for roost mites in the nest. Mine have never had roost mites but I could see where that could cause a hen to change. I trust you have fake eggs in at lest some of the real nests? I use gold balls.

I have never tried this method but some people I trust on here say it worked for them. Put a milk crate or some kind of box with bedding where they are laying. Put a fake egg in it. After a few days where they have gotten into the habit of laying in there, gradually, a foot at a time, move that nest so they keep laying in it. Move it to where you want them to lay. If that nest is OK, leave it. If you want them in your real nests, remove that nest and hope they move to your real ones.

You can fence them out of the area they are laying in. They will have to find a new nest. The few times I tried putting stuff in their way they just laid next to what I put there, but your coop looks different to mine, it might be an easy thing to try and it might work.

I made some of my nests so I can lock a hen in there if I want to. That's come in handy a few times for different reasons. When a hen is is laying in a nest where I don't want her to I catch her on that nest and lock her in a real nest until she lays that egg. I'm kind of old and decrepit. I lock up the coop and use a fishing net to catch her. If I try to pick her off the nest she'll probably make a beak for it. No matter how excited she gets I still lock her in that nest. Usually she lays her egg within a half hour, though one hen took three hours. Most times I only have to do that once to retrain her where to lay, but for that three hour hen I had to do it twice.

 

[NHMountainMan]

My girls go through this regularly...they all decide to boycott the nest boxes and then the egg hunt is on!
Once I find their new nests, I always destroy it, then leave a couple of those eggs back in the best nest box. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Could the one laying eggs in the run be bullied away from the nests by the others?

I do have some fake eggs in the 3 nest boxes. Do you think moving their own eggs into the nest boxes would help?
In the past, I placed a box or bucket on top of the area they've chosen to use - forcing them to move. It worked on the RSL and Bresse, but so far, no luck with the others.

No sure on the bullying - but possible. The Flarry eyed grey is very skittish, so perhaps that's why she's laying outside. I think I'm going to have to be out there at first light tomorrow to see if I can find who's laying (I have an automatic pop door.
Thanks for the advice.

 

[NHMountainMan]

How are your nesting boxes set-up? Can the hens get into them easily?
You can try putting fake eggs or golf balls in the nesting boxes to help encourage them to lay where you want them to.

I do have a couple of hens that seem to want more "privacy" or darkness, whatever and won't use the nesting boxes. Seeing their eggs in the corner or underneath the nesting boxes sometimes seems to "prompt" others to lay their egg there too. My corners are hard to reach as well, unless I take the time to raise the roosting bars to get underneath, SO... I got myself a grabber to reach those tough spots. Not necessarily the "best" solution since it would be nice if all my layers would use the nesting boxes, but they simply don't.

You can get a grabber on Amazon for around $10-12. Fake eggs can be found on Amazon as well (MY Favorite place to shop LOL)

Lastly...do inspect your hens and the nesting boxes to make sure that lice or mites are not a problem. Bugs would make them not want to use the boxes too.

Leaving one in the run...every once in a while I may find that. Either a favorite laying spot is taken by a more dominant bird and the hen just pops it out or I might find one if it's a new layer.

Hope that helps.

Thanks - I do use a grabber, too. I will look for lice and mites. I'm confident the birds are clean, but perhaps the nest boxes need to be cleaned.

 

[NHMountainMan]

When pullets first start to lay many of them have control over the whole process. But it is a complicated process. There are different triggers to tell them when to release a yolk to start that process so the timing is such that they lay it during daylight. Many know ahead of time to start looking for a suitable nest, others don't. Some can delay laying the egg if they need to, or know to go to the nest when the time comes. Others seem to be totally surprised that an egg is coming and drop it wherever they are, on the roosts at night or just walking around. It's not just about making the egg, it's about laying the egg. If you are finding the eggs in random spots they haven't gained control of the process. If the egg is in the same spot every day, that is where they want their nest.

I don't know why a pullet or hen changes her nest. You can speculate as to why until the cows come home and may not get it right, especially if it is only one or two. If you post photos of your nests we may be able to come up with suggestions, many of them probably conflicting. I've seen so many hens laying in so many different spots I don't think they all have the same preferences. One thing I would suggest is to check for roost mites in the nest. Mine have never had roost mites but I could see where that could cause a hen to change. I trust you have fake eggs in at lest some of the real nests? I use gold balls.

I have never tried this method but some people I trust on here say it worked for them. Put a milk crate or some kind of box with bedding where they are laying. Put a fake egg in it. After a few days where they have gotten into the habit of laying in there, gradually, a foot at a time, move that nest so they keep laying in it. Move it to where you want them to lay. If that nest is OK, leave it. If you want them in your real nests, remove that nest and hope they move to your real ones.

You can fence them out of the area they are laying in. They will have to find a new nest. The few times I tried putting stuff in their way they just laid next to what I put there, but your coop looks different to mine, it might be an easy thing to try and it might work.

I made some of my nests so I can lock a hen in there if I want to. That's come in handy a few times for different reasons. When a hen is is laying in a nest where I don't want her to I catch her on that nest and lock her in a real nest until she lays that egg. I'm kind of old and decrepit. I lock up the coop and use a fishing net to catch her. If I try to pick her off the nest she'll probably make a beak for it. No matter how excited she gets I still lock her in that nest. Usually she lays her egg within a half hour, though one hen took three hours. Most times I only have to do that once to retrain her where to lay, but for that three hour hen I had to do it twice.

Thanks
I will post a picture of the nest boxes shortly. The one thing I haven't tried is hanging a curtain over the box. I know some believe that helps.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I've attached a picture of the nest box area. The boxes were clean and no pests were visible. I replaced the pine shavings just in case, and made the ceramic eggs more visible. There is about a 1" overlap on the front trim to help keep the shavings and fake eggs in the nest boxes.
If you look carefully at the picture you can see a light green egg in the bottom litter nest she dug in the left corner.

When they first started laying, I put a five gallon bucket in each corner to block their digging (opening against the wall so they couldn't get inside.) They just layed right in front of the buckets rather than trying the nest boxes.

Suggestions or modifications recommended?

Thanks

 

[TwoShepherds]

I'm new to chickens as of May 2019, so I'm by no means an expert, but you might want to try putting up curtains or making the box less exposed somehow?

I have noticed that my pullets have chosen the darkest most private part of the coop to lay in. I put a metal trashcan and a 40 lb treadle feeder inside our coop, partially blocking 2-4 nest boxes that line the front side of the coop. I figured they had plenty of other nest boxes to choose from, but wouldn't you know, those silly chickens squeeze into the boxes that are partially blocked, ignoring all the others. Those are the ONLY ones they use. Perhaps they like how dark and private those boxes are compared to the ones that are more exposed. Maybe it makes them feel hidden and safe.

Your coop looks beautiful and spacious. I hope that they start laying in the right place for you!