Chicken won't use nest box

[Edgars Mom]

Hello there.. I have a red sexlink pullet that just started to lay but she's ignoring the nest box and laying on the manure board. is there any way I can get her to start using the nest box? I have two others who are going to start laying and I'm worried that they are going to copy her. I don't want poop all over my eggs.

Thank you

Lisa

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you have fake eggs in the nest boxes? Have you seen any evidence of the chickens being in the boxes (i.e. bedding scratched out or moved around)?

 

[Edgars Mom]

I don't have fake eggs in the nest box... should I keep some in there? They've kicked some of the straw out so they've explored it. I will look into these fake eggs!

 

[CluckerFamily]

You can also for now, take the egg they lay and put that in the nesting box for the day before you take the egg into the house.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't have fake eggs in the nest box... should I keep some in there? They've kicked some of the straw out so they've explored it. I will look into these fake eggs!

Fake eggs show the chicken that the nest spot is safe to use (as they think they're real eggs) but no risk of a fake egg breaking, rotting, etc so they can be left in the nest box indefinitely.

 

[Edgars Mom]

Thank you for your help! I'm going to get some fake eggs and in the meantime we will take the suggestion to put today's egg in the nest box and replace it with tomorrow's and take that one in. Do the eggs have to be the same colour? These ladies lay brown eggs.

 

[Djgm]

My girls are at 14/15 weeks so I started “training” I just put golf balls in, and mine are all brown layers. Now, idk if this will work....I just know I don’t feel like belly crawling under the coop to get eggs

 

[aart]

Do the eggs have to be the same colour?

Nope!
I use fake eggs from TSC and golf balls.