[anitaws]

One of our four Barnevelders has spent since dinner time very unsettled up and down to the house and looking for ways out of the run.  Looking at their previous situation I don't think they'd been used to going out of the run at all.

She is driving the other 3 nuts and making me worry :blink:, should I be?.

Bob says if shes new to laying she might just be unsettled because of that but how long does it usually take? 

She has her beak open.  She is stopping to eat and drink occasionally.  I've put more sawdust and hay in the nest boxes.

Out of the 8 hens I was told one or two had started to lay but don't know if its any of the ones weve got.

Is this normal?

Anita

[Vember]

Did she do it yesterday?

This is only her second full day with you, I think?

Is she rosey ?

Sounds to me like she just want's to be out of the run? She maybe wanting to lay and not feeling completely happy with the nestbox in their coop or it could just be as you say that they are not used to being in the run
 

Do you have anything you could give her as way of a treat? To take her mind of being in the run

Sarah

[Aunt Sally]

Can I make a slightly different observation - take the hay out of the nest and replace it with chopped straw. 

Hay can be dangerous for chickens as they may eat it and it can cause an impacted crop.  They don't generally eat straw but even if they do it is much softer than hay and won't cause a problem.

[anitaws]

This is her first day with this behaviour and she is rosey.

I thought hay was softer than straw!  Just goes to say that you don't always know.  She seems to have settled in the bedding/nest box area just as I've made the last post, isn't it typical.  So I don't want to disturb her for a while, at least shes stopped pacing up and down.  When she comes down I'll take the hay out.

Yes just the second full day with us and I'm already asking for help so a big thank you for your answers and I'll try not to worry so much.

Anita

[Vember]

If she's gone on the nest then you might find she's going to leave you a pressy

She may have been confused as to where to go to lay it

I will keep my fingers crossed you get a lovely reddish brown egg for your tea

Let us know won't you


Sarah

[anitaws]

No pressy this time just a nice shapped next in the main sleeping area, definately didn't fancy the nest box as she has removed the bedding from that.  With it being a 12 bird house shes got 4 nest boxes to choose from but still prefered the sleeping area.

I got the bag back out of the bin and its straw not hay, so no panic after all.  Perhaps I just shouldn't spend so much time on the hen bench, but I am on holiday and its a nice way to pass the time with a cuppa.  They do seem to like eating it though.

Well shes come back down for her bed time corn so all seems alright at the moment.

Anita

[Vember]

Ahhh   Maybe she's just sussing out the joint ready for when the time comes

Nothing like being organized

[Aunt Sally]

Put a couple of golf balls in a nest box to give a hint that that's were to put eggs.

[anitaws]

Bob's just cleaned out the house and brought me our very first brown egg.  How did I miss it, what a dope  :blink:

Its not overly large by supermarket standards and to think I didn't find it.

Thank you all, golf balls here i come, she definately didn't lay it in the nest box.

[Kate and her Ducks]

An eggs and egg though. Congratulations!

[anitaws]

Yes, wonderful an egg on her second day with us. 

Unfortunately we've decided not to eat any that are laid until Friday due to the wormer given when we collected, with me not being able to remember what its called and the breeders advice being withdrawl were not going to risk it.

But so good to find an egg

Once again thanks all.

[8doubles]

If you are not going to eat it yourself boil it and mash it up and give it back to the chickens.
It would be a shame to waste the first egg.

[SnooziSuzi]

one of mine simply refused to use the nest box to lay in and instead kept laying on the droppings board under the perch    Not laying from the perch though; it would have smashed, but hunkering down on a clean bit of board and laying there.

She did this for about 4 months, until one of the others had a word with her and now she lays in the nest box like the rest of them 

[anitaws]

I went to our local flea market this morning and got 5 used golf balls for 50p, apparently they arn't any good for playing golf with properly.  He just look at me when I said I was buying them for our hens

So each nest box has a golf ball in with a spare but there no sign of egg activity today.  It would be just as well if they waited until Friday.  Unfortunately the first egg went into the bin - I didn't realise I could cook it and feed it to them.  I know for the next one, if its before Friday.

I think I'll ask them very nicely for no more eggs until Friday and then as many as they like.

[anitaws]

Well the golf balls worked a treat, thank you Aunt Sally, one was in and out in half an hour this morning and had left an egg in the nest box.  I presume this is the one who laid on Tuesday.

At about 10.30 we popped out as one was just going up stairs,  she can't quite have the idea yet as shes still wandering around trying to scrape shavings together in the house.  All 4 nest boxes are ready to go so she might get round to it later.