Why is she laying on the ground?

[ivyboo]

I have 1 hen that lays on the ground inside the coop under the nesting box. The other 3 hens lay in the nesting boxes like the a supposed to. Is there anyway to teach her not to lay on the ground? I already have fake eggs in the nesting boxes. It's a pain because I have to climb in the coop to get those ones.

 

[WVduckchick]

Maybe another one is occupying the nest box when she needs to lay? If you are already using fake eggs, and the other girls are laying there, she may eventually figure it out. You could maybe put something like an upside down bucket, or rocks, or anything where she is laying to force her to go somewhere else.

Get a set of those grabber tongs on a long pole. Or a stick with a hook on the end. Drag the eggs to you.

 

[ivyboo]

Maybe another one is occupying the nest box when she needs to lay? If you are already using fake eggs, and the other girls are laying there, she may eventually figure it out. You could maybe put something like an upside down bucket, or rocks, or anything where she is laying to force her to go somewhere else.

Get a set of those grabber tongs on a long pole. Or a stick with a hook on the end. Drag the eggs to you.

I will try that! I do have 1 hen that roosts a lot on the nest box bar. I have plenty of other places for her to roost but she seems to always be there. Maybe she is keeping the other from going in. I got her separate from the other 3 so she stays to herself a lot. My other 3 I have had since they were chicks.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

She could be lower on the pecking order. My girls who are waiting for the box usually cackle at the other hen to say hurry up. But some just sit there and wait patiently.

Disturbing her nesting spot pretty good might encourage her to lay somewhere else that would hopefully be in the boxes. Guess that's kinda the same thing that was already said.

You call them hens, how old is she? How long has she been laying for?

Good luck retraining her.

 

[ivyboo]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

She could be lower on the pecking order. My girls who are waiting for the box usually cackle at the other hen to say hurry up. But some just sit there and wait patiently.

Disturbing her nesting spot pretty good might encourage her to lay somewhere else that would hopefully be in the boxes. Guess that's kinda the same thing that was already said.

You call them hens, how old is she? How long has she been laying for?

Good luck retraining her.

Thanks! My 3 Isa Browns are 9 months old and they have been laying about 4 months now. My Barred Rock was given to us a couple months ago (that's the one that roosts and stays to herself mostly). I believe she is about a year old. She just started laying for me about a month ago. I do hear them making lots of noise sometime! Lol My Isa Browns are super friendly! The other is very shy and really wants nothing to do with me. Lol

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks! My 3 Isa Browns are 9 months old and they have been laying about 4 months now. My Barred Rock was given to us a couple months ago (that's the one that roosts and stays to herself mostly). I believe she is about a year old. She just started laying for me about a month ago. I do hear them making lots of noise sometime! Lol My Isa Browns are super friendly! The other is very shy and really wants nothing to do with me. Lol

It takes quite a while for new members to truly become part of the flock most of the time. That is very likely part of her issue. Even though the Isa's are friendly to you, they may not be as nice to her. But even when they don't go out of their way to be brutal the pecking order still usually stands pretty strong. She probably is the lowest being a new addition.

By quite a while I mean about 4 months or longer. And sometimes they integrate more cohesively when there is a good mix up (departing) of the original flock. In other words breaking up the cliques they seem to form new ones. Though I'm not suspecting that's your plan or even suggesting it, but just sharing.

My Barred Rock have been a mixed bag of personality. One really calm and hangs out on my lap as long as it's on HER terms. Others pretty shy like you say. Still one of my favorite breeds and after raising more than 100 birds of MANY different and even rare breeds, I have 1 girl BR girl who has made the cut to pet status many times.

Hopefully she will settle in before too long.

Alternatively, you could set her up a lay box where she currently lays and get a reachy grabby tool mentioned by WVdc. Though I understand that isn't truly ideal.

I guess to be honest... if I have a girl who consistently refuses to lay in the boxes... she finds a new home. I have 1 girl who refuses to lay with the other hens most of the time, she also made pet status because of her personality. I hate searching blackberry bushes for hidden nest. (it's always the EE!) At least now she is laying in my Silkie coop. The worst part is that very often chickens follow the "monkey see, monkey do" routine and happily teach each other bad habits! Gotta stop fence hoppers, nest hiders, and egg eaters. So ya, now I have 1 Silkie who lays in that (about 2 bird) coop (and belongs there), in addition now an EE and a production red. Oh and most recently one of my broken broody's Silkies from another coop started laying there. Mind you there are only 2 boxes and they all lay in the same 1. There are 10 boxes available in my big coop where the 3 USED to lay... and only 13 girls, 4 of which haven't started laying yet. Crazy birds!

 

[ivyboo]

It takes quite a while for new members to truly become part of the flock most of the time. That is very likely part of her issue. Even though the Isa's are friendly to you, they may not be as nice to her. But even when they don't go out of their way to be brutal the pecking order still usually stands pretty strong. She probably is the lowest being a new addition.

By quite a while I mean about 4 months or longer. And sometimes they integrate more cohesively when there is a good mix up (departing) of the original flock. In other words breaking up the cliques they seem to form new ones. Though I'm not suspecting that's your plan or even suggesting it, but just sharing.

My Barred Rock have been a mixed bag of personality. One really calm and hangs out on my lap as long as it's on HER terms. Others pretty shy like you say. Still one of my favorite breeds and after raising more than 100 birds of MANY different and even rare breeds, I have 1 girl BR girl who has made the cut to pet status many times.

Hopefully she will settle in before too long.

Alternatively, you could set her up a lay box where she currently lays and get a reachy grabby tool mentioned by WVdc. Though I understand that isn't truly ideal.

I guess to be honest... if I have a girl who consistently refuses to lay in the boxes... she finds a new home. I have 1 girl who refuses to lay with the other hens most of the time, she also made pet status because of her personality. I hate searching blackberry bushes for hidden nest. (it's always the EE!) At least now she is laying in my Silkie coop. The worst part is that very often chickens follow the "monkey see, monkey do" routine and happily teach each other bad habits! Gotta stop fence hoppers, nest hiders, and egg eaters. So ya, now I have 1 Silkie who lays in that (about 2 bird) coop (and belongs there), in addition now an EE and a production red. Oh and most recently one of my broken broody's Silkies from another coop started laying there. Mind you there are only 2 boxes and they all lay in the same 1. There are 10 boxes available in my big coop where the 3 USED to lay... and only 13 girls, 4 of which haven't started laying yet. Crazy birds!

Haha! Crazy birds is right! Lol
It's one of the Isa Browns that's laying under the nesting boxes but of course I'm not sure which one it is yet. I can't tell 2 of them apart. I really wanted to tag them somehow. I tried colored zip ties but that didn't work. I think they were trying to peck them off.

 

[WVduckchick]

Haha! Crazy birds is right! Lol
It's one of the Isa Browns that's laying under the nesting boxes but of course I'm not sure which one it is yet. I can't tell 2 of them apart. I really wanted to tag them somehow. I tried colored zip ties but that didn't work. I think they were trying to peck them off.

Try a different color.

And i will tell this quick story any time i read about zip ties now. Embarrassing, but a learning experience. I put a zip tie on a week-old bantam cochin. Forgot about it until i noticed him limping - over 3 months old! Feathers hid it, and i hadn't banded any others this year. Totally forgot! I had to dig it out to cut it off. Bad mistake. But he is now healing, hopefully with no long-term damage.

Sorry for interrupting your egg perils, but i don't want anyone to have to go thru this. I will still use them if necessary, but will pay better attention!

 

[aart]

I tried colored zip ties but that didn't work. I think they were trying to peck them off.

Why/how didn't it work?
Usually they stop trying to peck the ties after they realize they can't be eaten.
Make sure they are not too tight and they should get used to them within hours.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/leg-banding-with-zipties.68075/

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, I really don't like the zip ties. Though I don't have issues with pecking at them regardless of color.

From far away you can't really see the color. And they get dirty making them faded looking and even harder to see. But the feathered legs really is my biggest problem. Like you say the ties get covered and hidden.

Being able to tell my birds apart is one reason I like having different breeds. But some of my breeds have been super easy to tell individuals apart.. like my FBCM, SFH, and EE. No two seem to be exactly the same. My BR I could tell apart mostly by personality. They had subtle differences but nothing that makes you know who it is right away. And leg band do absolutely nothing for being able to tell which girl it is in the lay box without disturbing them, of course with the intention of knowing who is laying and where.

I have accidentally gotten white paint on 1 bird. It didn't stay on her feathers more than a week or two. But I MIGHT think about a drop of nail polish or something to that effect that wasn't red. I'm definitely in need of a better tagging system!

2 birds went to a new home with their bands still on. I have reminded the people to remove the bands a few times but have no way of knowing they did for sure. They seemed like good folk who loved their kids and the sustainable life type thing. Very animal compassionate. So they probably did and I'm just a worry wart.

Oh, one other method I read about to identify who lays where is by using food coloring to paint their vents. Not red and a different color for each girl. Then when you collect there should be smears of that color on the egg.