I apparently have a hen that is smarter than me... I made fake eggs to put in a nest to encourage the hens to lay their eggs in a different place. I blew out the contents of the egg like you would for an easter decoration and then filled it with plaster of paris. One of the girls was in the new nest and turned all the eggs over to see the side with the big hole, then went and laid their eggs in the usual spot.... Outwitted by a chicken again!
Sorry to hear that. First off I'm unsure as to how the chicks will react to the change of their laying location, and also question whether the plaster may be an appropriate material for the fake egg as it is powdery and also may be cracked/break due to the chicks either pecking at it or dropping it (depends where the nest box is ofcourse).
I personally have seen a progress from zero to now an egg a day a few day between when I placed the fake egg and when they began laying with this method. Also, the benefit of the use of the hot glue is that it can be sand down when it dries to ensure the egg is completely smooth and that there are no visible bumps on it. Additionally once the egg is spray painted the egg will ultimately look close to a true egg.
The girls started laying their eggs beside my fake ones today. I should have had a little more patience. The plaster of Paris cures hard like cement or Clay and it's contained within the eggshell. No chance of powder, cracking or breaking. But they are like cold rocks, since it's -30° here.
