Suddenly not using nesting box

[Lucylou]

Out of my 4 chooks, 2 are moulting (inside their house looks like a feather factory :roll: ) & I thought the other 2 were coming into moult as the number of eggs has been decreasing, & then last week, no eggs.

Well, I discovered the answer - she's not been laying in the nesting box. Don't know why. There was a lovely pile of 6 eggs in the far corner of the house. OH was putting chooks to bed last week & he doesn't look inside the house, only the box so they'd got missed till cleaning day.

Can anyone tell me why she should have started doing this? Its my Lt Sussex, (there was also one from the other girl still laying but I guess thats because she was copying as the other one had chosen this good place :lol

 

[Davidd]

Hi, i would check the nest boxes/coop for red mite and the birds for lice- it's a classic sign of not wanting to go into the nest box. Hope this helps
regards, David

 

[Lucylou]

Thanks Davidd, did wonder if it was something like that. :?
Thought I had escaped any nasties as the weather is getting colder & all summer they've been fine. Will have a good look over them at weekend.

 

[Anonymous]

I have the opposite problem. My 2 hens have been laying almost every day for the past year and are still doing so. Suddenly they are refusing to use their perch and go to bed in the nest - but never spend time there in the daytime other than to lay. Tonight I removed them from the nest, put them on the perch, blocked the nest box and 5 minutes later they were snuggled up in the shavings next to the nest box. Nothing has changed in their routine - has anyone any ideas?

 

[dawn]

Mine have decided to sleep in the nest boxes recently too, or in the straw next to the perch rather than on it. I wondered if it was because it had got colder at night as they are all huddled together - in fact I thought I'd lost the smallest one last week as she was completely under the rooster's wings - like chicks do with their mother.

 

[Anonymous]

Raymary and dawn.

Are you sure you dont have any draughts inside the chicken house?

It sounds like the perch area may be getting a draft, Mrs hen knows there are no draughts in the nest box and it's cosy and warm in there.

Just a thought!

cheers