Chicken not laying in the Coop any more

[Jimster]

One of my chickens has been laying fine for 6 months, now all of a sudden she has stoped laying in the coup and keeps laying outside, in the garden. How can we encourage her to lay in the coup again??

Maybe if I locked them in the coup and the run so she couldn't get to the garden??

[frias]

It might be that she is going broody so making her own nest or it maybe there are mites in the nest box so she doesn't want to go in there. These are just ideas though as I haven't encountered the problem.

[Jimster]

Yesterday I did a major clean of the nest box, and sprayed with mite spray, etc.

She's not spending any time sitting on her eggs, it took me 3 days to find them as I couldn't see where she was laying.

[Suechooks]

If they were all together she's probably going to go broody and laying the clutch in readiness. One of my ex-batts did this last year - I found 11 eggs in the hedge but never realised as she was still wandering about. After she went broody (and took over one of the nest boxes in the coop) I discovered 3 more eggs in the hedge

[Jimster]

so what can I do to prevent her getting broody? How long will she be broody for? is it a bad thing?

[RichmondHens]

She may not necessarily be going broody. In this hot weather she may just not like laying in the nest box. It might be easier to leave one egg in her chosen nest site marked with a cross (so you don't take it for eating) and she will continue to lay there. At least you will know where the eggs are. If you take them all away she may find another site and you won't know where she is.

If she does go broody (and you cannot prevent this) you can either force her out of it by putting her in a sin bin (a cage with a wire bottom which is uncomfortable to sit in - she would have to stay in it for at least 4 days) or leave her be. You can continue to take the eggs away, or let her incubate and hatch some (if you have a cock and they are fertile). Being broody is not a bad thing. It generally only happens during the spring and summer months (although I have had hens go broody as early as January!) Broodiness will last 3 - 4 weeks, but sometimes longer, even if the hen is not incubating any eggs. Certain breeds go broody more readily than others, and some not at all.

[jbalmer]

mine did this last summer. layed her egg every day behind a bush at bottom of the garden. She would not lay in the coop for love nor money even when i took her away from the bottom of the garden when starting to lay and put her in the coop with the door shut. Then all of a sudden when winter came she layed in the coop every day and has never gone back since!!!. She layed in the garden for about 6 months in all!!