Won't Use Nestbox!

[AccentOnHakes]

I have two EE pullets. One laid her first egg yesterday, her second today. The other has been laying for a month now.

The one that started first lays in the nestbox. She laid her first eggs under the BBQ grill, but we moved them to the box and she lays in there now. She's not the one with the problem.

Yesterday, my other pullet laid her first egg in the coop, but not in the box. Okay, whatever. I put an egg in each of the nesting boxes. Today, she kept ripping up the newspaper lining the poop board! It was obvious she was trying to make a nest. I moved her to the nest box, she sat for a while, then went back up. Repeat, repeat, repeat. I tried holding her down until she was sitting when I put her in the box. She sat for 10 seconds then jumped back up. Finally, I thought, she must like the newspaper lining! I dashed indoors and put some newspaper in the box! Success! She went in and ripped it up, and I eagerly watched and waited for her to sit.

Then she jumped back up.

I finally gave up and just left. Then she went under the BBQ grill and started scratching there....so I came back a while later and both were under there, along with an egg that was still warm. The egg came from the one that started laying yesterday.

So...I still have an egg in each nesting box. Now what? She laid yesterday in the coop, but today it's under the girll?

 

[gritsar]

Is there anyway one of the other hens can be keeping her from the nestboxes? I've seen that happen when a particular hen is really low in the pecking order.

Can you confine her to the coop?

 

[trooper]

I put golf balls in my nest boxes and my hens done good in them.I also use wood shavings witch they can scratch around and it is more like a nest.I don't know but it may be worth a try.Also you may have to keep her in the coop for a few days so that she knows where to lay them.Just some ideas.Good Luck

 

[AccentOnHakes]

Quote:
I only have two hens and I have two nesting boxes. The other hen was sitting in the other nesting box, preparing to lay. I did close the coop door, but gave up about 15 minutes in of her flying up, me putting her down, and repeating.

ETA: So they've both laid today: one under the grill and the other in the box. Right now there's an egg in one box and two in the other(I didn't collect the one laid in the box). I took the one under the grill, though.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I only have two hens and I have two nesting boxes. The other hen was sitting in the other nesting box, preparing to lay. I did close the coop door, but gave up about 15 minutes in of her flying up, me putting her down, and repeating.

ETA: So they've both laid today: one under the grill and the other in the box. Right now there's an egg in one box and two in the other(I didn't collect the one laid in the box). I took the one under the grill, though.

Try removing the eggs from the box and replacing with a few golfballs, fake eggs or even some egg shaped rocks. Leaving real eggs in the coop is never a good idea. Beyond locking her in the coop for a few days I don't have any more tips, sorry.

 

[AccentOnHakes]

Okay, I'll find some easter eggs then. I need to fill them with dirt to give them weight, correct?

Can removing the eggs wait until tomorrow morning, or not?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yes the plastic easter eggs need to be weighted. You can fill them with some sand or dirt and then glue them shut. Otherwise they get kicked around too much. I've always used golfballs, just a cheap package of them that I bought at walmart.

Yeah, tomorrow will be fine. The problem with leaving real eggs in the coop is that they can get broken. Once broken the hens will try them and might decide they like them enough to start breaking future eggs and eating them. Egg eating is a hard habit to break. Also, eggs left too long can attract egg eating predators like snakes and rats.

 

[AccentOnHakes]

Last night, I chose two easter eggs--light blue and dark blue. I did that to try to match the colors(they lay light green and light green/blue) of the eggs. I also chose the ones that are two separate parts, not attached by a thin thread-thingy. Those are much too flimsy. I filled them with layer pellets and they kinda rattle a bit--is that okay? I also didn't tape them, but they really don't mess with them much. Didn't even give them a glance, really.

I was going to lock them in the coop until both laid their eggs, but I opened the door to refill their feeder and one dashed out. Oops.

 

[sonic164]

Mine sometimes does that. there not laying yet but my male chickens always sit in the box's while the hens always have to sit outside of them. I'm sure there'll put them in there place when they start lying though.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Really, a couple of cheap golfballs would work better IMHO. I've been using the same golfballs for more than three years now. Every once in awhile I collect them all up and bring them in the house for a soak in a mild bleach solution to sanitize.

Any nests you find outside destroy and try to block off as best you can. Chickens can be so stubborn sometimes!

ETA: Don't worry about matching the color on the decoy eggs. Chickens don't care what color the fake egg is. I have all brown egg layers (at least until my youngest birds start laying) and they like the white golfballs just fine.