Our hens are 8 months old. We thought something was wrong with them, because they are good laying breeds - one Buff Orp, one Silver Laced Wyandotte, and one RIR - but they had never laid a single egg in the whole time we had them. We have lovely, soft little nesting boxes in their coop, with a lot of privacy and space, filled with soft hay and a lining of newspaper.
During some serious spring cleaning last week, hubby and I decided we needed to tackle that shed of ours, as much as we didn't want to. We began clearing things out, sweeping the floor, organizing everything. Suddenly DH shouted, "Well, look what I found!" and I glanced over my shoulder to see him proudly holding up two large brown eggs! I was stunned and asked where he found them. He pointed to the back corner of the shed, on the dirty, hard, cold floor, and said, "They were just sitting right out in the open over here, behind that old tool box I threw back here last Christmas when I got the new one."
This explains why I have so many darn rats and snakes in that shed, while the animal feed in the new shed by the house remains untouched and critter free! They've all been going in there to steal those eggs! And every day since then, I've gone into the shed to find more and more eggs. I got four more this morning. I would have had five, if I hadn't accidentally stepped on one that I didn't see because it was just smack in the middle of the floor, right where you've got to walk.
WHY do my hens do this?! Why do they prefer the cold, hard shed floor, right out in the open, no protection or privacy at all, to laying in their cozy little nest boxes?
The shed is old and rickety and was on this property when we moved here. It has, for whatever reason we've never figured out, several square holds cut along the side of it, which is how the chickens enter it. I'm going to purchase some chicken wire and cover them up this weekend but how can I make these girls start using their little nest boxes?
During some serious spring cleaning last week, hubby and I decided we needed to tackle that shed of ours, as much as we didn't want to. We began clearing things out, sweeping the floor, organizing everything. Suddenly DH shouted, "Well, look what I found!" and I glanced over my shoulder to see him proudly holding up two large brown eggs! I was stunned and asked where he found them. He pointed to the back corner of the shed, on the dirty, hard, cold floor, and said, "They were just sitting right out in the open over here, behind that old tool box I threw back here last Christmas when I got the new one."
This explains why I have so many darn rats and snakes in that shed, while the animal feed in the new shed by the house remains untouched and critter free! They've all been going in there to steal those eggs! And every day since then, I've gone into the shed to find more and more eggs. I got four more this morning. I would have had five, if I hadn't accidentally stepped on one that I didn't see because it was just smack in the middle of the floor, right where you've got to walk.
WHY do my hens do this?! Why do they prefer the cold, hard shed floor, right out in the open, no protection or privacy at all, to laying in their cozy little nest boxes?
The shed is old and rickety and was on this property when we moved here. It has, for whatever reason we've never figured out, several square holds cut along the side of it, which is how the chickens enter it. I'm going to purchase some chicken wire and cover them up this weekend but how can I make these girls start using their little nest boxes?
