Ceramic Nest Eggs

[Threewyandottes]

Our hens are getting close to laying age. I remember hearing about putting false eggs in the nest box. what are these for and are they necessary?

thanks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are they absolutely necessary? No. But the purpose is to try to get the pullets to lay in the nests instead of somewhere else random. They tend to like to lay where others are laying.

Will fake eggs guarantee that the pullets will use those nests? No. But they improve your odds.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They aren't absolutely necessary but I use them and find them helpful. It shows the pullets where a safe place to lay is. If you get an egg eater, they deter that since they can't break them.
I don't know how many hens you'll have but you can get 2 at some of the feed stores or you can get more cheaper on Ebay.

 

[staceyj]

Golf balls work too.

 

[PirateGirl]

Anything that's roughly the size and shape of an egg might help. My chicken sitter has far more chicken experience than I do, and while I was out of town he found some rocks in my yard/driveway about the size of eggs and put them in my nest boxes to show the girls where to lay. It won't make them lay any sooner, but gives them an idea of the spot you want them to lay.

 

[Threewyandottes]

so i have some large white stones-could these be used?

 

[Threewyandottes]

Just wondering all though i probably will pickup some of these ceramic eggs at the feed store later today

 

[tjo804]

As well as deterring egg eaters, I have heard they are good for snakes in the coop. The snake injests your concrete or ceramic egg sneaks off into the night like the robber it is an cannot digest or expell the egg and dies.

As far as training if you have no layers yet it could work after that they tend to follow the leader kind of think I have 5 laying boxes for 8 hens and they use 2.

I have also heard of ppl using them to encourage a hen to get broody. Store bought, yard find or stolen from golf bag they get the idea.

Good luck
Enjoy your hens

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Golf balls work too.

My uncle had a huge flock of layers for egg sales.
He had a side gig as a groundskeeper at a golf course. He had a bucket of balls in the henhouse and every nest had a golf ball in it.

Anything that's roughly the size and shape of an egg might help. My chicken sitter has far more chicken experience than I do, and while I was out of town he found some rocks in my yard/driveway about the size of eggs and put them in my nest boxes to show the girls where to lay. It won't make them lay any sooner, but gives them an idea of the spot you want them to lay.

I originally made fake eggs from water putty. They worked pretty well.

so i have some large white stones-could these be used?

If they are roughly the same size and shape, they should.
After all, my crappy hand molded water putty eggs worked.

 

[ChickieChickieMama]

Okay, so I hope this isn't hijacking the thread, but I placed done large oval stones in my nesting boxes yesterday (my eldest hens are almost 15 weeks but I have younger chicks and a whole range of cockerels in there too). This morning, most of the rocks had been moved out of the nesting boxes, and a few of them were missing!! What have my naughty chickens been up to?! Is this normal??