Single hen

[hengirljen]

Hi all,

 

I am new to this forum although I've been keeping chickens for 9 months now. We now have 3 chickens, after losing 3 along the way in fox attacks . It is definitely catching as 5 different friend/family members have started keeping them since seeing ours!

 

The problem i am having is that one of our chickens will not lay in her eglu. If she is in her run all day, we will often find the egg on the floor outside the eglu, and if i let them out for some supervised free ranging, she is quite happy to lay in the middle of the lawn or in the borders, or wherever takes her fancy! I know when she is about to lay as she will squat down and do a funny pose, and then a hot egg will pop out!

 

Is this behaviour ok, laying eggs so openly and exposed? She has only been doing it for a few weeks now and i'm not too sure why, or if i can do anything about it? Maybe the urge to lay comes on so quickly that she doesn't have enough time to make it into the eglu?

 

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Thanks, Jen

[Daphne]

I found an egg today in the middle of a pen - its the first time I've ever found one outside a house or its run. I think I know whose it was; if I'm right she's new into lay so I guess it just took her by surprise. I shall have to try to keep an eye on her and if possible pick up her and put her in the house in time to lay the next one (ha ha) so she gets the idea. I am slightly bothered by it because of the risk of encouraging damage and then egg eating or stealing (we have squirrels and no doubt the rats aren't all dead). I do have another girl who usually lays in the nice dark covered bit of the run; but I just let her get on with it.

[The Dogmother]

One of mine tends to do that. If you spot that she wants to lay, then pop her on the nest and close the eglu door until she's laid. Do that a few times and she'll get the idea

[sophiex]

i think that claret is right

that should probably help,

but when you pick her up

dont be too rough or she

will get scared and not lay

the egg in the end.

good luck!! x

[Egluntyne]

Why not pop a couple of ceramic eggs or even golf balls in the nest box. Their instinct is to add to a clutch of eggs, so it might inspire her.