wont lay were she is supposed too!

[Shortstuff112]

I have a 7 month old Buff orpington ( her name is Margarine ) and she refuses to lay in the egg box! she escapes and layes her egg in the garage! she is perfectly healthy, not broody, and i have not seen any bulies by the egg box. She even roosts right next to the egg box!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Whenever my pullets start laying, they take awhile figuring out the nesting boxes. And once in awhile, they discover a new place... lately it's the raspberry bushes. How convenient.

She'll probably get the hang of it, especially if the others are laying in the boxes.

 

[1muttsfan]

Keep her shut in the coop until she is using the box regularly.

 

[Shortstuff112]

thank you americanvalkyrie! I will wait and tell you how it goes! 1muttsfan- thank you for your suggestion but I can't do that because there are 16 other chickens that need to be in the same coop at night ( they are free range )

 

[OperationHatch]

I have 15 chickens, majority of the time they lay in the lay boxes (mind you with have multiple and they all insist in laying in only two of them) and they are all free-range. Once and a while we will find a new spot (usually in a bush or near a corner in the garden) that they lay in. I have found it pretty difficult to get them all to lay in the boxes especially being free-range. I usually do something to disturb their desire to lay there.. put something in that spot, blocking it off.. Usually twice a year I keep them all closed in the coop for about a week until to be sure everyone knows where they are laying

 

[Mrs.ChickChick]

Chickens sure do have a different idea about some things that we humans do.

At least you always know to look for her egg in the garage! If she always lays in the same place in the garage, is there any way to block that off and/or make it unattractive for her to lay there? She may prefer a more "protected" place than what she gets in the coop. How many nesting boxes do you have for how many laying hens? Also, the nesting boxes should be lower than the roosts. (you mentioned she roosts right next to the nest box).

 

[americanvalkyrie]

I'm having that problem with my ducks. I have two, who are total buddies and lay together. Since they started laying, I normally get an egg a day from each. Only twice have I gotten one egg, and never have I gotten none. Well, this morning I got none. I looked in the nesting boxes, and also in a corner of the coop where they sometimes lay... I don't know why. No hens are ever in the boxes that early in the morning, and the ducks lay way early. I got texted my husband to ask if he gathered any duck eggs. None in the fridge. I checked the coop again. Huh. Well, an hour later I found them. Apparently they had been laid in the corner, then some of the hens scratched around in the fresh bedding and completely buried them. They were so well hidden that the bedding didn't even look messed up. Then another hen came and scratched around, and tossed both eggs out into the middle of the coop.

Wow, I really need some excitement in my life if that's today's top story. The Case of the Missing Duck Eggs.

 

[Shortstuff112]

haha! nice story! and yes my chickens egg box is about an inch lower than the lowest roost. UPDATE: Margarine is not laying in the garage anymore but i dont know if she is laying in the nesting boxes! and she still ascapes and digs up the flower beds. how nice

 

[americanvalkyrie]

haha! nice story! and yes my chickens egg box is about an inch lower than the lowest roost. UPDATE: Margarine is not laying in the garage anymore but i dont know if she is laying in the nesting boxes! and she still ascapes and digs up the flower beds. how nice

When one of my ameraucanas started laying, I got a few blue eggs in the nesting box. Then they just stopped. I figured she was just irregular since she had started laying. But less than a week later, I found my dog with 4 blue eggs. The chicken had layed them in a flower pot, on top of potting soil, behind a straw bale. I had to toss the eggs, but it was a perfect time to teach the dog that it's not ok to gather my chicken eggs for me.

 

[buffy the eggslayer]

Big girls like the BuffO's dont always seem to like nest boxes so try putting a large box in on the floor of the coop with bedding in it and see if she uses that. If not put the big box ( A wooden packing crate or old tea ches would do) in the garage or whereever she does lay. once she gest used to laying inside the box you can move it to the coop.

A number of my girls like to lay away from the coop especially if they feel broody so I provide a number of alternative sites in spare coops and feedrooms etc. This gives them a safe place to lay but means that I know where to find them.