4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Ruskie]

On Wednesday there was no egg from Pepper but as she'd laid 35 days in a row we just thought a day or two off was in order. By Saturday it was 4 missed days and as she seemed perky in herself we decided to see if she's laid anywhere else as she and Ginger free-range in the garden all day, most days. Sure enough OH found first one, then 3 other eggs all close together hidden under a bush. Today we didn't let her out until the early afternoon, hoping she'd use the nest box to break the habit. But no egg before early afternoon so we decided to let them out. As soon as she and Ginger were let out Pepper headed straight for her new 'nest' and after grumbling to herself a bit - very audibly - when she found it (a) empty and (b) much less overgrown where OH had cleared the undergrowth, she settled down and laid her egg, trilling quietly. It was as if she's been bottling it up.

We already have problems with Ginger who now nearly always lays her eggs on the roosting bars pre-6.30 am (despite sleeping in the nestbox). For the first 5 months we've had no problems at all and they both dutifully used the nest box and went back to it even when free-ranging. Any advice on what to do to cure either or both habits? We did try a china egg with Ginger but she kicked that out of the nest and didn't lay at all so we had given up with that.

[Patricia W]

We had this for months with our two who preferred to lay in a really inhospitable bramble bush! Nothing worked - until I bought a cube! Then I just put two rubber eggs in the nest box - and they both immediately cottoned on! I don't know what it was about the eglu but there was no way they were going to lay in there.

 

Tricia