broken egg

[Anonymous]

I got myself four lovely hybrid girls four weeks ago at POL. After two days pat came into lay, her first two eggs I found balancing on a shelf. Since then she has layed each day from the purch, (early morm 6.30) hence broken eggs. two other chooks are laying each day in the nests provided, just waiting for the fourth to lay. I have tried putting pat into the nest but she is not interested she also see's the other chooks laying in the nest but has not followed suit. Apart from putting shredded paper down to cusion the egg as it fall (not working) I dont know what else to do. Any advice please?

 

[Tim]

She should get the hang of it at some point.

Make the nest boxes as dark as possible - hang some material over half of the front if necessary and add some dummy eggs (or golf balls!)

She should in time see the eggs in there and decide that it's a good place to lay.

One other thing - check the house for Red Mite if it was a second hand house as this can put them off sitting if they are being bitten.

 

[Anonymous]

hi Lolly,not an easy one then eh!
Are the other hens possibly stopping her from going into the nest boxes?I would place a dummy egg into the nest boxes and leave it there.I would also remove the perches,so she can't perch and drop her eggs onto the floor of your coop.This may sound harsh and cruel,but,I do think that raw egg in the coop will attract other undesirables,like rats,mice,yukky bacteria and could also encourage your hens to start egg eating.Which may possibly encourage them to break their eggs on purpose to eat them.
Hopefully,she will learn to use the nest boxes,or at least the floor of your coop so you will be able to replace the perches soon.
good luck,and let us know how it goes.

 

[Anonymous]

HI, is Pat the bottom of the pecking order? I know when I let mine out in the mornings the lower pecking order are still on the perches the higher ones on the floor of the coup.
You could let them out ( into a run) at say 6.00am so she gets down off the perch and has a chance of going into the nest box. Or put a deep pile of straw under her to try and catch the egg.
You could try to remove the perches but they may go into the nest boxes to sleep.
She will get the hang of it in time.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your advice, will take it all on board. Only got a small coop 6ftx2ftx4ft high, built new. spray once a week for red mite and clean shelves and coop floor each morning, nice and clean. Wondering if keeping too clean maybe upsetting chooks? will try dummy egg in nest. If i were to take perches away will they be able to get up onto shelf (top of nest box) 2ft 6high. where three of them roost all night, Pat doesn't roost on shelf with them she stays on perch just in front of them, it seems to me she is in charge of the sleeping arrangements perhaps? If I were to take perch away would this be detramental to pat as this may cause segregation as she would have to roost elswhere in the coop, dont want her to sleep in nests, the only other shelf is opposite side of coop. I'm confused as what to do. :?

 

[Tim]

I would leave the perches - it's harder to stop them sleeping in nest boxes.

A dummy egg or two should help. In theory - she should lay later each day until she misses a day and starts the cycle again - so my guess is it won't be long before she is up and about before she is ready to lay her egg...