It is every farmer’s wish that every part of the chicken business goes according plan. However this is not always the case. One of the places where this is manifest is that point when the chicken start laying. The pullets can become very stubborn and refuse to lay eggs in your designated nest boxes no matter how much you try. This can be very irritating because the eggs become exposed to snakes, dogs and other animals that feed on the eggs. The eggs are also exposed to destruction if not laid on the right surfaces not to mention other safety measures.
It is therefore normally a struggle between a strong willed farmer wanting the best for her laying flock on one hand and a stubborn, determined chicken bent on enforcing her iron will. This fight, however need not go on for long. While the framer should not give up, it is important to force the chicken to give up their games and toe the line through a number of measures at the disposal of the farmer.
- Pick Eggs from the laying boxes routinely
There should be no crowd of eggs in the laying nest or box. Chicken also have lots of instinct and a laying box full of eggs will send a message that the place is not ready for laying or is insecure. Regularly emptying the box once or twice a day will give it the confidence to move in and lay another egg inside there.
- Force the chicken not to lay in wrong places
You can ensure it is very difficult for the hens to lay eggs in the wrong places through interventions that frustrate their ability to do so. If you have found a pace out of the nest or away from the chicken house where they are laying eggs, remove the eggs and place objects like stones, bottles, thorns or any forbidding materials there. If this is done regularly for every place they move to, they will eventually be frustrated and toe the line.
- Detain the chicken in the chicken house till midday
Most chicken generally lay eggs in the first half of the day. Keeping them indoors up to midday before releasing them out to the chicken run or the compound ensures that a majority of them will have laid eggs within the confines of the nests and no eggs are lost to predators or through destruction as a result of carelss, unsafe laying.
- Chase them out at night
At night when the chicken organize themselves to sleep, some will go and find sleep in the laying nests. Make it a habit of kicking them out of the nests into the roosting spots so they get used to sleep there. If this is repeated a number of times, the chicken eventually adjust and will make no further attempts at sleeping in the laying nests. This also helps them dedicate the nests only for laying by day.
- Getting hold of them when laying in the wrong place
Sometimes you may be lucky to get them in the act of laying in the wrong place. The prudent thing to do in the circumstances is to get hold of them, remove them and take them to the laying nest. Chicken are masters at behavior change. If you frustrate every effort they make, eventually the surrender to your will and lay eggs in the place you want. Act each time to find them in the act laying in the wrong place. If you ignore they tend to think that is the right place and they will continue doing it.
- Prepare neat, soft and comfortable laying boxes
A clean and comfortable laying box will encourage the pullets to lay in the place you desire. Chicken generally get attracted, like every animal, to warm and appealing places. If you prepare a place that looks soft, they will automatically lay there.
- Avail a good number of spots for chicken roosting
Providing adequate roosting boxes will ensure the birds don’t lay eggs anywhere else. The laying boxes therefore remain free for laying birds.
- Place adequate laying boxes
There should be enough laying nests to cater for all the birds laying at a given time. Ideally there should be one nest for every four birds. And the farmer should also avoid have too many. If you avail too many laying nests, the birds will use the rest for sleeping. When they sleep in them they soil them and this would discourage other birds from using the nests.
- Use of dummy eggs
You can buy plastic eggs or anything that looks like an egg for example golf balls and use them to teach the birds to sit in a nest and lay. With repeated practice, the birds builds the habit of identifying a laying nest when the time comes.
- Prepare attractive nests
A nest that is appealing, soft, comfortable and warm draws birds into it. It gives the birds the feeling of security for their egg. Make it quiet and place it in a slightly darker place to afford them the privacy they need. Ideally it should also be slightly raised away from the floor.
Find more details on our improved kienyeji chicken farming manual.
