Stupid hen, grrrr

[bills]

For some strange reason, I have one stupid hen (Miss Bean), who insists on laying her egg in the run. All my other hens lay in the nest by 10am. Not Miss Bean. Between 5-6pm she goes and sits in the nest for 15 mins or so, then promptly comes out into the run, and lays her egg. Unfortunately she's not a vocal layer, so I often discover the egg after it has been kicked around a bit and is all dirty. Even worse, sometimes it is buried, and doesn't resurface till the next day.

I have no idea how to prevent this. I have tried locking her in the hen house for a time, hoping she will finish her duty in the nest box. Nope, she will stand by the chicken door, making all kinds of worried noises, wanting to join the rest of the flock out in the run. Frustrating...

Any ideas?

We called her Miss Bean, (because she is the skinniest hen, and lays the smallest eggs) after the skinny Mr. Bean.

 

[WrenAli]

Try giving her a nest box with some bedding out in the run around where she lays. Move it closer to the coop each day?

 

[d.k]

* Observe her in the nest box and see if you can figure out what her "beef" is. I learned my girl wants a lot of "pacing room" and a darker box. ed: also, since she's so obviously on a different schedule-- the coop may be too warm or too cool for her taste at that time of day.

 

[silky ma]

I have had some ist time layers tell me they have layed their egg only to drop one on the ground in front of me or in my lap. Put a cozy box for her where she usually lays. Shell either use it or find another place altogether. Try putting a fake egg in the nest so she doesnt try to go somewhere else. If she is agreable to everything and keeps laying in the box , while she is not looking - slowly move the box to an area you can live with.

As we all know when mama aint happy no one is happy!!

 

[bills]

I have two nests in the coop, one which contains a golf ball. It seems the ball gets moved around in the nest, but "none" of the birds actually lay in that nest box. They all lay in the same one every day, so the rest seem happy enough about the nest set up.

My biggest fear of putting a nest in the run is that all the birds may get it in mind to lay in it. I initially tried putting a box in the run with some hay in it for awhile. None of the birds used it including Miss Bean. They tended to pull the hay out of it, and usually by the end of the day it was half full of dirt from all the scratching around in the run. I was afraid that if they did start laying in it all the eggs would end up dirty..

She doesn't seem to lay in the same spot in the run, just any old place. Fortunately none of them have gotten broken, as I worry about the birds getting a taste for eggs.

I think this one bird is just plain stupid...