The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: rorsa on May 20, 2008, 01:50:33 pm
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I have just discovered a pile of eggs in the middle of a large bush in my garden. I have 5 light sussex hens. I have been getting 2 eggs a day in the nesting box but clearly someone is laying where they should not. Has anyone got any ideas about how I can persuade the recalcitrant hen to lay in the right place. I am at work all day so I am unable to stand guard on said bush.
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Hullo,
As our 5 chickens dwindled to two we found that one would lay under some ivy on the garden wall and the other in an unknown location despite over a year of being good chickens and laying in the house.
The fox finally took us down to one solitary chicken (who was laying under the ivy), our neighbours cut the ivy down, from their side of the wall exposing her laying place. After that she went back to laying in the house which was a big surprise.
I don't supose you want to go to the lenghts of cutting down your bush but maybe chicken wiring it in for a week will get her out of the habit, or may make her lay somewhere else you don't know about!
Sarah
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Ours used to lay elsewhere if there was a queue for the nest boxes. Dan's Dad built us a free standing nest box, and the problem went away.
The nest box did give rise to another problem - our cockerel, Hobbes, could find his was in, but not out and had to be "rescued" on several occasions.