not using nesting boxes.

[spencermartin]

Hello,

New to having chickens, my chickens are not using their nesting boxes. They are laying eggs under their roosting bars.

My coop is 2 box style buildings connected with a foot long tunnel. (Gotta love town codes) with the roost bars in 1 room and the nesting boxes and food/water and exit door are in the other room.

Please help.

 

[boersmamrs]

Are the boxes off the floor, cozy and dark? Put a few fake eggs in them and leave them in the coop a little longer in the morning. They will start laying in them.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

How old are your birds and how long have they been laying? I ask because this is pretty common with new layers.

 

[spencermartin]

Yes boxes are off floor and cozy with straw and golf balls. I have one hen that uses the boxes but when I opened the other side today to clean it I was surprised with about 15 eggs that were covered in poop.

 

[spencermartin]

Just started laying last week. I thought it was only one hen laying because every evening I had one egg in a nesting box. Today when I opened the other side to clean it I was surprised with 15 eggs covered in poop.

 

[boersmamrs]

One of my hens lays next to the "poop tray" sometimes they just lay where they want lol. They lay where they feel the eggs will be safe. Is it possible to block off, temporarily, the spot they are laying?

 

[boersmamrs]

...also they might be laying their eggs at night? Chickens don't see well in the dark. Lol

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Quote:

Are the boxes off the floor, cozy and dark?...

By nature chickens lay on the ground. Elevated nest boxes are only intended to make gathering eggs easier on the backs of the chickens' keeper.

If this was not so then chickens would lay eggs on the tops of houses or you would need a ladder to retrieve the eggs that your chickens laid in trees.

Cozy and dark is the preferred location for a hen to lay although some immature hens haven't read the memo yet and sometimes lay on the roost or just can't hold it any longer if there is a line at their preferred nest box.