What did you do with your flock today?
- Thread starter FrankieDoodle
- Start date
Chickens are so funny about egg laying!I've been a little suspicious lately that there might be a hidden stash of eggs somewhere, but hadn't been able to find it. A lot of the pullets turning into layers have been SUPER curious about the nest boxes, but no matter how many times they go check them out I never found any of their eggs.
Until this morning.
Went out to the littles' coop. Heard the bee-de-beep-beep sound of a hen settling down to lay. But didn't see a hen anywhere nearby. Looked and looked and thought i was losing my mind. She was obviously right there. But I couldnt find her.
Until i got down on my hands and knees (fairly ...ehem....clean deep litter bedding)... and looked UNDER the shelving system i have set up for their nesting boxes. My little golden EE hen was contorted in the most uncomfortable looking position under there. So I gently shooed her out and saw she had left an egg. Then I went to retrieve it and my hand found 7 eggs total. I blocked it off because that's the last time I reach my hand into what would otherwise be a cozy spot for a snake. I also left an egg in each of the nesting boxes to encourage the girls to use them. The thing is, all of these nesting boxes are used regularly by the reds and brown leghorns. And I've found EE eggs in three of them. I have no clue why the crazy ladies would literally squish themselves under the shelving in order to lay eggs.
View attachment 2994049
This means that this weekend i have yet another project to get to that I've been meaning to do for a while: total revamp of the inside of that coop. This summer I'll be removing the two lengthwise roosting bars and replacing them with 3 shorter bars that go across the width of the coop rather than the length. The longer bars just make it really hard to maneuver in there and result in a lot of wasted space. I wont be able to get that in depth this weekend, but before it gets too warm and springlike, I need to make sure there arent any hidey holes snakes would love. And that means raising up that bottom shelf so that it's not so close to the ground. Which is a bit of a bummer because there will only be room for three nesting boxes if I do that. But there are plenty of other places for them to lay if those three spots arent good enough. Spoiled rotten birds.
Weird dark places make some sense as it hides them when they’re vulnerable. But the way they are about it still makes me laugh. Good luck rearranging things!
6
629864
Guest
So, I don't do well with procrastination. As soon as a bee is in my bonnett, I need to sort it out. And seeing as I was done with work tasks, I went to the coop to "mull things over". An hour later, the coop had been rearranged. LOL.
I moved the nest box set up so that it's over the chicken "door" (really just a raised flap in the plastic sheeting). Now the chickens enter the coop under the nest boxes. The area underneath is about 15 inches below the bottom shelf. I kept all 6 nesting boxes, but secured the top row with a sturdy board that also acts as a bit of a landing bar. 3 of the 6 had new eggs in them when I went to put the chickens up for the night, so I assume they approve of the changes.
Where the nest boxes used to be was here in the corner under the roosting bars.
About 2.5 feet of each bar was unusable because I had to block it off to keep them from roosting over (and pooping in) the nest boxes.
My thought is this: I have a 2'x3' dog crate that is big enough to hold the "cat cave" with plenty of room for a feeder and waterer in the front section. Alternatively, I could use an egg crate instead of the cat cave to be more efficient with space. I could set up that crate on the roosting bars where the birds haven't had access til now anyway (so they wont be losing anything). And then install a ladder so the ladies don't have to hop up and down the 4 feet every time. The ladder would benefit the entire flock that roosts in that coop. I have a pretty good idea of what I'd use for the ladder and how I'd install it. Time will tell if my vision and reality meld well
Oh...and here's my catch for the day:
I moved the nest box set up so that it's over the chicken "door" (really just a raised flap in the plastic sheeting). Now the chickens enter the coop under the nest boxes. The area underneath is about 15 inches below the bottom shelf. I kept all 6 nesting boxes, but secured the top row with a sturdy board that also acts as a bit of a landing bar. 3 of the 6 had new eggs in them when I went to put the chickens up for the night, so I assume they approve of the changes.
Where the nest boxes used to be was here in the corner under the roosting bars.
About 2.5 feet of each bar was unusable because I had to block it off to keep them from roosting over (and pooping in) the nest boxes.
My thought is this: I have a 2'x3' dog crate that is big enough to hold the "cat cave" with plenty of room for a feeder and waterer in the front section. Alternatively, I could use an egg crate instead of the cat cave to be more efficient with space. I could set up that crate on the roosting bars where the birds haven't had access til now anyway (so they wont be losing anything). And then install a ladder so the ladies don't have to hop up and down the 4 feet every time. The ladder would benefit the entire flock that roosts in that coop. I have a pretty good idea of what I'd use for the ladder and how I'd install it. Time will tell if my vision and reality meld well
Oh...and here's my catch for the day:
Last edited by a moderator:
6
629864
Guest
Yikes...upon reviewing the photos, I see that one of the shelving brackets isn't secure. The rest will prevent anything falling, but I'll have to fix that in the morning. No sense hammering in the dark LOL.
6
629864
Guest
Those totes are such a brilliant idea. If I ever need to replace my nesting boxes, I'm definitely going to use your stuff as inspiration.
Bonkerelli
In it for the chickens
- Jan 1, 2022
- 4,904
- 20,651
- 796
Lost one of my Serama hens today.. just a pile of white feathers. Hawk must have got her 
Pretty egg haul!So, I don't do well with procrastination. As soon as a bee is in my bonnett, I need to sort it out. And seeing as I was done with work tasks, I went to the coop to "mull things over". An hour later, the coop had been rearranged. LOL.
I moved the nest box set up so that it's over the chicken "door" (really just a raised flap in the plastic sheeting). Now the chickens enter the coop under the nest boxes. The area underneath is about 15 inches below the bottom shelf. I kept all 6 nesting boxes, but secured the top row with a sturdy board that also acts as a bit of a landing bar. 3 of the 6 had new eggs in them when I went to put the chickens up for the night, so I assume they approve of the changes.
View attachment 2994236View attachment 2994241View attachment 2994243
Where the nest boxes used to be was here in the corner under the roosting bars.
View attachment 2994246
About 2.5 feet of each bar was unusable because I had to block it off to keep them from roosting over (and pooping in) the nest boxes.
My thought is this: I have a 2'x3' dog crate that is big enough to hold the "cat cave" with plenty of room for a feeder and waterer in the front section. Alternatively, I could use an egg crate instead of the cat cave to be more efficient with space. I could set up that crate on the roosting bars where the birds haven't had access til now anyway (so they wont be losing anything). And then install a ladder so the ladies don't have to hop up and down the 4 feet every time. The ladder would benefit the entire flock that roosts in that coop. I have a pretty good idea of what I'd use for the ladder and how I'd install it. Time will tell if my vision and reality meld well
Oh...and here's my catch for the day:
View attachment 2994250
I am the same way, when I decide I need to do something I can’t think of anything else until I’ve addressed it. It’s annoying sometimes! 
Looks like you made some good changes though! Lucky ladies!
Oh no!! I’m so sorry!! :-( Oh that’s just the worst…I’m always so sad when I lose one in general, but it’s even worse when you don’t know where and how they went :-(Lost one of my Serama hens today.. just a pile of white feathers. Hawk must have got her
I am so sorryLost one of my Serama hens today.. just a pile of white feathers. Hawk must have got her
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
The Moonshiner's Bootleg "I'll Make You Famous" Hatch-A-Long- Started by The Moonshiner
- Replies: 82
-
New to backyard chickens! I need help!
- Started by Rharrison7
- Replies: 72
-
-
Calcium bolus please HELP
- Started by Joyce_Turner
- Replies: 59
-
Ended Official BYC Poultry Caption Contest 05-30-25 Pic by I Miss u Loaf- Started by TwoCrows
- Replies: 54
-
