Hen started laying on the floor of the coop???

[adgcountrygirl]

I added 2 new nesting boxes on Friday afternoon. Saturday, one of my girls, Daisy, laid her egg on the ground. I picked it up, placed it in one of the new boxes to encourage some of the girls to try one, and later when I went back to gather them, her egg had been crushed. I don't think any of my hens were trying to eat it. I actually am supposing that it was accidently crushed by my roo, Beakman who had been in that same box earlier that day scratching around, rounding out the nest and clucking his approval that it was ready for the girls. (My lighter roo, Optimus did the same with the other new nest and is typically the only one to inspect the nests. In the past I have only added one nest at a time though.)

Today when I went to gather eggs, Daisy's again was on the ground. Some of the other hens had laid in the new boxes and some in the old, but not Daisy's. It was whole though.

Is there a reason Daisy has suddenly started laying eggs on the ground? Today was the second day in a row. She has NEVER done this before. Jas has done it once, a long time ago, but I can't remember if it was around the same time I introduced a new nest box.

If anyone has had a similar experience, I would really appreciate the input!

 

[sawmane1]

make the ground were she lays more undesire-able if she is laying under the nest boxes, kick out some of the substrate and discourage her from going to that spot.
she also may be getting ready to go broody, mine have done that before.

 

[Chemguy]

Without knowing more about your setup, it's hard to think of a specific reason beyond "change." A new nest box arrangement, even including previous boxes, might seem like a whole new setup to your flock. I'd give it a couple more days. You could try to make the new and the old boxes a little more secluded (and attractive) by hanging cloth over the front to make a hen-cave. That did the trick for me.

 

[PtldChick]

Without knowing more about your setup, it's hard to think of a specific reason beyond "change." A new nest box arrangement, even including previous boxes, might seem like a whole new setup to your flock. I'd give it a couple more days. You could try to make the new and the old boxes a little more secluded (and attractive) by hanging cloth over the front to make a hen-cave. That did the trick for me.

x2 chickens are very suspicious of change. It's a prey instinct to help stay alive.