Hello All, I just took in 5 new hens ( 4 buffs and a red star) from a friend who no longer wanted them. They are about 2 yrs old and due to the conditions in their "coop" have never had egg boxes to lay in. The second day that I had the new girls they laid in the floor in the middle of my coop. 1 egg was cracked and partially eaten by my rooster before I could get it out. I have 3 nesting boxes built into the side of our coop, filled with shavings and even a fake egg in each one. They don't have a clue. Is it possible to teach them new tricks? or will they always just lay their eggs on the ground. I did put a 3 X 3 box with shavings in one corner and had an egg in there yesterday. I'm worried that my young 22 wk old australorps will pick up this bad habit from the old girls and never use the boxes in my coop. ( The australorps haven't started laying yet) Any suggestions would be helpful.
