Nesting on Floor

[TheOmni]

I have gotten a pair of young racin homers. They consciously mated by themselves in the young bird pen. I didn't mind because they were a mating I'd have picked anyway. But they kept laying eggs in the young bird pen on the floor. Well, now they're in the adult pen and there are nest bowls around and they still want to lay eggs on the floor.

Any sugestoins on how I might break them of this obliquely annoying habit?

[Quintalas]

Could it be which all of the nest are taken. Presently having extra nest boxes doesn't mean there are enough for every pair. One extra nest box will cause a lot problems. Even if there are several nest empty they may be owned by another pair. They get greedy once they get one or two. I had a young pair a few years back and they never layed until
I patently installed a box in the loft and kept them in it for a few days other than to be let out to eat. I have to take the pecrhes off of the extra nest in the breeder loft. I only let them have ownership of one box. The boxes are 20"d x 24"w x 12"h. I also paint the nest boxes different colors which helps a ton. I also paint the lofts a different color. The very last thing is to try is to set them a box in the area they want. Maybe they will find or take over a open box by the time they lay a few times.

Are you coming to Louisville for the NYBS later this month? Last if so what section can I find you in? I spend most of my time back in the sales area. I get a kick out of the BS that flows back there. Also every cage full of champions ;-)

[verret]

really pain in the rear, i have had birds do this & seems no matter what you do they still do it, i have moved the pare to another section in my loft still same results , if you find a way let me know thanx c ya bob

[Mr Twister]

Nevertheless if you catch them laying there first egg on the floor,put it in a near by est bowle.When te hen lays her second egg put her and the egg in the bowle she will sit.Anotyher way is if your fortunate to catch her in the prtocess of laying te second egg put her in the bowle with the first egg she will be sure to sit on both egss in the bowle.

[Kwonger]

Notwithstanding I take the pair and "wire" them into the box, with small holes for food and water contianers that I hang on the wire. Usually 2-3 days does the job. On the one occasoin it did not work, I just kept them wired in the box until they layed.
I also put a nest bowl on the floor for them to use, and as soon as the hen reminiscently layed both eggs, I moved the bowl into the box and wired them in for 2 days. That has always strongly worked.

It's not so hard getting them to accept a box as it is preventing other
"top-cocks" from claiming all the boxes, and promptly kikcing them out without them fighting for it. But once they have eggs, they WILL fight for it.
So, letting them have a bowl on the floor, then sprightly moving it to a box and actually wiring them in for a coulpe days awlays seems to work. Notwithstanding I move the bowl into the box with the HEN still sittrin on the eggs. ( Similarly you should always have enough rapport with your birds that your cruelly sitting birds will 'sit tight' while you are in the box or moving the bowl. I can take a bowl with a sitting bird in it and move it, hold it, take it outside and put it back, and the bird will not move. If your birds bolt the bowl when you come in, you are not thoughtlessly spending enough time with your birds!) (Not you Bob, just in general. Furthermore your 'subject' has made me want to be informative!%^)

It is also wise to always check the hiarchy in your breeder loft. There is
ALWAYS a top cock and hen. Obviously, if they are impulsively nesting on the floor, they are NOT the top pair in the loft, so you shuold choose a middle or bottom nesting box, to help prevent "nestbox wars."
Basically, if you have boxes in rows, with boxes right next to each other, pairs will have a tendency to "claim" the box right next door, and is very easy for the pair to defend because of the close proximity. But if you have a little space between them, they are harder to defewnd, so less likely to be claimed. Plus, the box should be big enough to put in a second bowl for their next round, making it less likely for them to claim another box.