Some of our girls just started laying... yesterday i found our first egg- in the dust bath. It was perfect! Today someone else laid a "top shelf" rubber egg ... and by top shelf i mean that it took her by surprise and she was still on the roost- splat onto the coop floor! We have our nest boxes out, but the only thing they seem to want to do with those is make a mess out of the hay. How can I entice them to lay eggs in them rather than just play in them? Thanks!
You might put some fake eggs or golf balls in the nests...or just wait....tho one of my just laying pullets wouldn't use the nest until I took the golf balls out of the nest.
The messing with the nest bedding is just part of laying, they are preparing a nice bowl to lay in.....they'll probably do it less once they get the hang of laying....but when I put fresh straw in the nests they need to do a little rearranging.
Keeping them confined to the coop for a few days, all day/night or at least until about mid afternoon, can help to acclimate them to laying in the nest.
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