Hens laid on floor...

ive two hens which have laid on the floor, they and their mate have got a nestbox but have prefered to lay their first egg on the floor.........the worst part is though they are only 2ft apart and the cocks are fighting for territory,

if i wait till tommorrow dinner time and lock the hens in their boxes so they will lay the second egg each will this work...?

david put the egg in the box and lock the hen in until it lays its second egg done this many times and it always works

RIGHT, SO WOULD YOU PUT THE FIRST EGG IN WITH THEM OR NOT....? or put it in after they have laid again or they might not go in the bowl if i put the first egg in ..

put it in the nestbowl with them david

they wont smash it will they ?

well mine didnt david but if your worried put a pot egg in until it lays

yes could do, as they havnt incubated the first egg it wont harm it will it...?

hope i can get them into their boxes as i dont like eggs on the floor...especially two sets so close......

you wont have a problem david honest

when should i lock them in the boxes tommorrow ?

yes david tomorrow morning but just the hen david not the cock

leave them

I agree with ian, as last year I had a hen lay on the floor dispite having a box, but because I wasnt fussed about them having youngsters and they did use thier box during the day I just picked the egg up and put it in thier nest box, she took to it and laid the second in the nest box.

peel bros wrote:

leave them

cant ray, eggs are only 2ft apart and the cocks are fighting and unsettling the hens covering the first egg.......

If you really want the eggs from them both, I would defo do what Ian said and lock the hen in the box with the egg, however if it were me I would wait until about a few hours before she lays the second egg before moving her, because if she doesnt take kindly to being move in the first place she might just leave them and lay second anywhere, I was lucky last year because I didnt care as soon as she laid I moved her and the egg to the box, not sure how she acted first off but she laid second in the box no probs. You could move them both and place a plank of wood across where they laid the eggs a piece of 4x4, that will stop them going back there.

I agree with Martyn and Ian just move the hens and lock them in there boxes feed and water them in the boxes until the second egg is laid and when you are happy with the way they are then let them back out

i dont like pigeons laying on the floor but if it had been just one pair i would have left them where they were, but because its two pairs i can forsee trouble ahead if i laeve them.......

David there is no wrong in that mate at all, it all helps to keeping the loft carm

thats right don, the difference i see now compared to last week is totally different.......it winds me up when they are all flying mental all over the loft......

had one last night but will keep a eye when she lays her second i will put it under her have seen this every now and again

I also hate youngsters on the floor, as they tend to move from the pan quicker and wonder about, and never seem to do that well, however last year one of my best racing youngsters was breed on the floor, but I did put a board tilted up over it to hide them.

decided to leave them on the floor and put a board between them, this seems to have stopped most of the fighting and the hens seem more settled on the egg.........tonight i looked in on then and both hens are sat happyly on the egg.eggs so i`ll see how they go now rayther than risk loosing the eggs by moveing them........the two pairs are stock birds on loan to me so i do really need to get as many ybs off them as i can.

David you have done the best thing mate no worries there

both pairs laid their second egg and seem to be settling down now and eased off fighting each other, altho when a pigeon lands on the loft floor the cocks run out and chase them off...........think i might put a piece of board up at the front to give them a bit of privacy

i would have moved them but thats me everyone to there own

didnt want to risk loosing any of the eggs ian, it could have unsettled them and then i would have lost 4 ybs...............also these two pairs are new to my loft so will still be a bit edgy i should emagine.