Chicken recently started laying- but not in nesting box. What to do?

[nola_chickens]

Hi there. I'm a first time chicken owner, and my two hens, Sophie (golden laced wyandotte) and Ostrich (black australorp), are a little upwards of 6 months old, but they haven't started laying yet. Today I couldn't find Sophie and found her in a bramble, really quiet. I assume that she's laying (yayy!). But.. I have a nesting box for them in their coop. How do I make them start laying in there and not anywhere they please? I don't want to have an easter egg hunt every morning.

 

[jen5680]

You could try keeping them locked in the coop a little bit longer in the morning.
You can also try a fake egg in the nest box.
Good luck

 

[Winggedheart]

Chickens are so silly sometimes.

 

[Judy]

I'd do the fake egg -- golf ball, plastic easter egg, whatever -- but I'd give her a month or so to get herself together on how and where to lay eggs before I locked her up. They do strange things when they start laying just as they lay in strange places.

 

[EELover]

Put gulf balls in the nesting box. They also like to have their privacy so put a light blanket to cover. I need to get the blanket for my boxes because mine don't lay there either. The good news for me right now is that mine do lay in the same places. They even made their own nest in the corner of the coop. Another spot is where some plastic has fallen down from the building along the run. All I do is pick up the plastic and I find at least one. Good luck in training them to lay in the right spot! It is harder than most people say it is.

 

[nola_chickens]

Thanks for the tips everyone!