[BML]

One of my three chickens lays its eggs on the floor rather than the nesting box.  Is it possible to persuade such birds to change their behaviour.

[joyfull]

is she fairly young and new to laying? Try putting dummy eggs in the nest box so she sees where the proper place to lay is.

[Lindeggs]

I have struggled with a pullet who does this.  Of six pullets, five lay in the nest boxes but one started laying on the floor.  I put a cardboard box in the corner where she laid, hoping by blocking her 'nest' she would move to laying in the nest boxes like her sisters.  Unfortunately she moved out of the coop completely and started laying in the garden!

Since then I haven't bothered trying to change her.  Each day I collect all the eggs from the nest boxes, then go to the garden to collect Patience's egg.  

If I was to do this again, I would block her nest on the floor and/or remove all the comfortable nesting material off the floor for a day or two.  Meanwhile I would put fake (or real) eggs in the nest boxes and make sure they were as cosy as possible.  I would then confine the problem chicken to the coop until she was forced to lay her egg somewhere - hopefully in the nest box!

Of course the longer this habit goes on, the harder it is to change.  There is no way my Patience would change where she lays her egg now.  If she is confined in the run she paces up and down the fence making a terrible racket until I let her out - then it's a sprint to the garden to lay her egg.

[BML]

She is young, I bought her and two others a week ago.  Two lay in the nesting box but the third will not and I do not know which one it is.

[Lindeggs]

If you've only had them for a week, now is the time to change her before she becomes set in her ways!  Try blocking the area of the floor where she lays, add some fake eggs to the nest box, and see if she will lay where the others lay.

[Lewjam]

As a note - golf balls work well!

I had this issue and putting a cluster of golf balls in the nest box (just 3 or 4) got her laying in the correct place.

That sucsessfull in fact that when i didnt take them away after a few weeks one of my hens went broody for a week trying to hatch the golf balls out hehe

So as soon as she is laying in the correct place, give it a few days then remove the golf balls (or fake eggs)
Lew