Am I setting myself up for failure?

[desertgirl]

Here's our routine-in the am, around 07:30, we let the girls out to free range for the day,putting them back in their run/coop around 07:30 PM (some sleep in the coop, the silkies seem to like the run). They are starting to approach egg laying ages, and I'm afraid they will lay under bushes, cactus etc. We keep food and water in the coop only, so they are used to going in and out of it-if I use the wooden eggs in their nest boxes and show them the "eggs" , will they learn to lay there? Or do I have to start curtailing their actions now?

 

[ChooksChick]

Mine liked the egg boxes right off the bat- I have a golf ball or two in each.

 

[keljonma]

When you first moved your birds to the hen house, did you lock them in for a few weeks, so that they would know it was a safe house? When it storms, gets dark, etc do they go to the hen house for safety? Do you have the nests set up already, so that the pullets are used to them?

If you answered yes to these questions, your birds will probably do fine. If you see a pullet laying an egg where she shouldn't, quickly but carefully lift her up and put her in a nest. Eventually they usually get the idea.

You can put fake eggs, rocks, golf balls in the nests. The hens will investigate. The theory is the hen see the fake egg and says, WOW! This must be a great place to lay eggs! Someone else has already laid their eggs here, I will too."

Good luck! First eggs are eggs-citing!

 

[Zuesdude]

I had the same problem but mine do not free range. I too was afrade they would not go inside to lay eggs or even go in at night but working with them by leaving them all in the coop all day, they learn to go back and forth.

 

[desertgirl]

We didn't lock them in, but they do go in for safety/storms etc. The nests are already set up, so maybe I'll throw some golf balls in there as an "idea maker".

Thanks for the help!

(Hopefully I'll get lucky like you, Chooks!).

 

[ChooksChick]

Also, as they approach egg-laying, you will see some of them starting to sound-off in a pre-egg song ba-gawking. They will also start to squat when you reach for them. Since these things happen in the couple of weeks prior to laying, you'll be able to start really observing whether they are looking the boxes over with interest or not- or if they're looking elsewhere with interest.

 

[desertgirl]

Good to know-thanks!!!!!!!!