1 of my 3 chickens are laying, are fake eggs a good idea?

[Debsbro]

Hi. 4 weeks ago we collected our 3 chickens, a Colombian blacktail, a black Sussex and a Miss Pepperpot. They were sixteen and a half weeks old when we collected them.

We are having so much fun with them and really glad we got them.

Miss Pepperpot has been laying now for about a week but the other two aren't showing any signs from then. I take the layed egg out of the nesting box straight away so was wondering if it's worth putting a fake egg in the nesting box the encourage the other two.

Thank for your help

 

[ChickenLady2610]

I put plastic easter eggs in my nest boxes. Hens have instincts to sit on eggs. I feel putting fake eggs help, and have been told it does. You can use gold balls, wooden eggs from a craft store, or the inexpensive plastic easter eggs. My kids love camo, so thats all we had was camo colored fake eggs. My hens like the lighter colors, the nest that has a purple camo fake egg has yet to ever have a real one. But my kids like looking at them. I had one hen that would lay her eggs in the middle of the yard, and another that would lay on the floor of the coop. After putting the fake eggs in the nest boxes they learned to lay their eggs in the boxes. A collection of eggs in a nest is said to help make a hen want to lay eggs so she can claim and hatch all the eggs as her own. Hope this helps!

 

[Debsbro]

Thanks for that. Think I might get some then. Thought the one that's laying might encourage the other two but hasn't happened yet!!!

 

[Debsbro]

Hi chickenlady,

Went out and bought some fake eggs and have put one in the nesting box.

My laying chicken had laid her egg for today but have just found an egg in the garden with no shell. Perfect shape and egg inside only the shell missing. Have you ever experienced this?

I think I know which chicken it will be my ginger one has red face, comb etc and the other chicken is still pink faced so guessing its the ginger one

 

[Debsbro]

I left the fake egg in the nesting box all night. Went to let the girls out this morning to find my laying chicken sat on the fake egg and she hasn't laid one herself!!!!!!! Do you think I should take the fake egg out over night?

She has usually laid her egg by 10 in the morning

 

[Den in Penn]

Leave the fake eggs in the boxes, at night they are on the roosts its dark and they don't care/see whats in the nests. Its when they are up first thing in the morning looking for a place to lay they see the egg and think this is where I'll lay. Sometimes they just like to sit in the nests without laying. Why not? Its comfortable and it sics you out. When they first start laying they are irregular. Taking days off between eggs, laying oddities under size, over size, eggs without shells making the first few weeks interesting.

 

[Debsbro]

Thanks Den the penn. my three actually sleep all snuggled together in the nesting box rather than on the roosting bars!!! Maybe it's still better to leave the fake egg in there. Maybe it was just coincidence that she didn't lay today

 

[ChickenLady2610]

I have three hens that are well over laying age. I am currently only getting eggs from the two marans cause they lay chocolate colored aggs and the one that isn't laying will lay a light brown when she starts back up. I just got these three girls little over a month ago. And the one that doesn't lay ran off and was missing for a month so she needs time to build herself back up. I leave my fake eggsin the nest I never take them out. She was just comfy. But a hen can only lay an egg atleast every 27 hours or so. That averages to one about every other day. With my two hens I get two eggs every three days. I found some golf balls and put more in the nest trying to encourage my other hen and so my pullets will know what to do when they get to that age. I would say either u got an egg eater or a hen that is just getting her system in order. The first eggs r always weird. Some have a very soft shell or are very small all sorts of oddities. As long as u are feeding them good layin mash or supplementing calcium they will get better