I need help getting my chickens to find their nesting boxes!

[newbie32]

Sounds crazy but if you "mate" with the hens - when they squat give them a vigorous rub along their back paying special attention to the tail area and tugging a little on their neck feathers, they may start to lay. I have had success with this on over half of our chickens. Almost like I am reminding them that they are coming of age by "mating" with them and they start to lay within a couple days.

I'm new at this whole thing but this actually makes sense to me. Animals are driven by instinct and if this is waking them up to their natural ways then I say great. WHEN mine are old enough and if I have a problem then I will try this. Thanks for the advice.

 

[dpk55]

Your chicks like privacy, most nesting boxes are covered on top. I suggest getting some old planter pots or something like that to use in a nice corner of the shed or garage. Lay them sideways, place some nice soft hay in them, and put those plastic eggs in those. You might be more successful. Good luck! And by the way, herbs are the only plants my chicks stay away from so I plant them all over the house outside, that way I have something green that they will leave alone.

 

[colincrompton]

Yeah I can't really do that because our are built into the wall..

 

[EggsellentHens]

I had a couple who could not figure it out. After using golf balls, things got better - for most. One is still random. In dirt and yesterday, just in the middle of the back yard. I think she will eventually get it! Also, I use straw instead of shavings in their boxes.

 

[sumrfun65]

I bet the trays are the issue. We just put shavings in ours and they seem to love it. Easy to clean out, I just scoop it up with dustpan once a week. We also bought a ceramic egg at the feed store and leave it in there. Looks just like a real egg. They lay their eggs right beside it everyday.

 

[daesee]

My hen had been laying reliably in her nest box, but after going broody and raising her chicks, she went back to laying in the yard. I'd been struggling for weeks - golf balls, fake eggs, locking her in the coop all day. Nothing woked until I read the post yesterday. Putting some dired leaves from her favorite laying spot in the yard worked wonders! Thank you to whomever suggested it!

 

[Blue CopperHen]

x2 - I was thinking the same thing about the trays. My ladies are afraid of the stainless steel bowls I used to put in their run for their treats - I would NEVER get an egg if I used shiny silver trays in the boxes!

X3

 

[SussexInSeattle]

To the original poster, how high up are those nest boxes exactly (inches high?) and what breed are you working with,
and standard size or bantams? The ladder suggestion seems like a good plan although for one of my nest boxes they do hop from an overturned bucket into that box.

You can use the shavings, no problem, what I do in my nest boxes is an inch or two of shvings and then some grass hay on top of the shavings. The shaving cushion the eggs if they get too aggressive in their nest bowling and dig all the way down to the wooden floor of the box. But over the years I have found that they do love to sit and create a little nest while waiting for the magic to happen and shavings are just not formable for hens. If you can't find grass hay you can try grass clippings, to the poster in the desert, I would go with paper from the paper shredder. I have read in here that people do not suggest straw since the hollow tubes of straw make excellent hiding places for mites. So if you don't have straw now, don't buy straw, use an alternative.

You really don't need 'help' getting your chickens in the nest boxes, since the eggs are in the reproductive systems and they will not drop down and out of the pullet until they are completely formed, so there is no reason for the girls to go into those boxes until the egg is 'there' , knocking on the door to get out. Think of it like a dog going to have pups, she won't be sitting in her kennel dreaming of the pups until her body starts to change and her temperature drops and that message from mother nature tells her, "Get in the kennel and start 'nesting' since you have a pup heading for the birth canal"

A chicken is basically the same, they may already know what those areas are for, it's just that their bodies are not ready yet so no reason to sit around when there's real chicken business to tend to.

To the poster that said that his chickens have preferred to sleep in his nest boxes and have encouraged this with shredded paper, you Will have Poopy eggs. If the chickens are still not laying, you are lucky, you still have time. A nice big board to cover the nest box holes needs to go up about an hour before sundown and block those chickens out of there and force them to go figure someplace else to roost ASAP! Then remove the board each morning when you unlock your chickens for the day just in case they need to start laying.

Golf Balls seem to be the best hinters for chickens since they also cure the egg peckers from pecking eggs.

To the poster who wrote they only made one next box, yes it IS true, there IS only one magic nest box BUT, if you get one hen go broody and if she is the alpha hen, she may plug off that one box from everyone else so even though it may seem a waste, a back up nest box is always a great thing to have available.

Also, LOL about the poster that wrote the comment on the paper cuts.

And lastly, the person that wrote 'Mate' the chickens, you may want to clarify that statement because maybe not everybody would be totally clear about what you wrote or meant and that could be an extremely bad thing. Also, the egg does not just happen and fall out one day because the chicken was running around the yard not realizing it was a chicken, it is in stages and forming for quite some time, starting very small and growing in size until it is completely ready so Mating doesn't make an egg just appear, it is when the egg is full sized and ready to be released that makes an egg happen. I have had roosters actually breeding pullets before an egg was ever ready to be laid. It's the same theory as a girl does not have to see a cute boy to have a period, it's just going to happen when her body is totally ready and not before.

Sorry for TMI for anyone offended.

 

[ras719]

I use wooden nesting boxes with shavings, piled up very thick if its too thin they don't use it and will go on the floor of the coop...fussy girls. If you really want to use the herbs try hanging them from a corner rather than in the boxes. I have around 30 hens with 8 nesting boxes, they only use two of them. Once in a while if a hen goes broody they will use a third

 

[Our Roost]

Fascinating responses! Waiting for that first egg is like an expectant father pacing in the waiting room. Its very exciting and an ego boost knowing both you and the chicken have succeeded. Where will the first egg be layed is truly your question. Getting your girls to use the nesting boxes is like potty training and introducing younguns to use the toilet instead of their undies or diapers! Exagerated of course. Some practices will help aid you in training them to use your nesting boxes as well as the nesting box itself. The "Coop" is the bathroom door and the nesting box is the toilet! All eggs need deposited in the toilet, thankyou!
You may find your first eggs on the coop floor and or in any bushes you have that they are foraging in. Instinctively and hereditarily, they are accustomed to outdoor plumbing. Keep in mind that I said the Coop is the bathroom door to the bathroom. Your girls like most women like and enjoy privacy. A properly sized and built nesting box provides just that feature for them. The nesting box material is like toilet paper to them. What brand do you use? Softer yet durable is always a good choice. Scented and fragrant can also be a factor, but don't add anything other than the natural scent of the product itseld. In other words get rid of the herbs and spices. Your not feeding them! A first layed egg placed in a nesting box is better than a plastic egg or golf ball. If it isnt broken or too soft when you find it, place that in a nesting box. Chickens generally lay eggs early to mid morning and sometimes in early afternoon. Truly their call and not yours. I will mention the Coop again as it is your best friend. Keeping chickens inside the coop during laying hours at first helps to train them that this is their batroom and all eggs will be layed within the bathroom and not outdoors! The nesting box will most likely be their place of refuge seeking privacy while confined within the coop until you let them out. Trust the old saying "When you gotta go, you gotta go". If they are entrapped in the coop when that time comes, they will search for a place of comfort and privacy while doing their duty. Hopefully, that will be the toilet or nesting box and not the floor of the coop! Wishing you luck on that and have patience. The nesting boxes will become second nature once they have discovered the new toilet in your taj mahal!