What is happening?

[chickney]

My chickens (and duck) have been using the nesting boxes I have for some time now. All of a sudden the last two days they have been wanting to lay eggs on the floor of the coop. They use to always lay in the same box either one side or the other but then they would all lay in that box. Even the duck use to jump up there are start laying in the boxes. However, now every morning for the last few days I have been having to crouch down and get their eggs on the floor? Does this happen often where they begin to change their mind about laying? I installed a bucket nesting box on the floor hoping that they will start to go in there and I found two eggs this morning right next to it. So I threw a golf ball in there, I did notice there was feather in there so they are going in there just not laying at the moment.

 

[Judy]

Nothing unusual about this. Mine do the same thing. They may only use nests for a month or two, then suddenly the eggs are piled in a corner for no apparent reason. Sometimes, changing the hay and fluffing things up returns them to the nest, sometimes not. Usually if I block off the corner they used, they go back to the nest, but then they find another corner in a month, or maybe 3 months.

At least they don't lay in their yard. It's a big yard with bushes and weeds. It would be a pain to find them. We've checked a few times when they slowed down for some reason but never found any outside the coop.

 

[chickney]

Haha, I'm sure if their yard was not covered in snow they would be satisfied laying in the yard. One of my hens is consistant by going over to our storage over hang and laying in a milk crate that was there for storage. I went ahead and put hay in it for her and she lays there every day.