Chickens first egg

[cluckduckgoose]

My one of my 20 week old pullets layed their first egg last night, on the ground of their coop. We have a make shift nesting box made out of a plastic tub, but she did not have access of it last night. We are planning to make a real nesting box this weekend. Will she learn to use the nesting box attached to the coop or will she always lay on the ground of the coop?

 

[ChkenKeeper]

When you have made your new nest box, put a couple of porcelain eggs in it. Your chickens will see them and spark interest in them and this will usually prompt them to lay future eggs in the same location. The porcelain eggs will also introduce your chickens to the fact that they cannot eat them which is a common problem for eggs that get laid on the ground. Often when other chickens are in a nest box laying and no other nest box is readily available a chicken may have no choice but to lay an egg on the ground. So porcelain eggs for a month or so in the nest box is just a good idea and serves a good dual purpose.

 

[aart]

Fake eggs/golf balls in nest often works great.
Egg laid onground don't necessarily get eaten unless they are thin or soft shelled and get broken,
which can be common with new layers, they are fair game for eating IMO.

 

[cluckduckgoose]

Ok, sounds good. Thanks. I already have a fake egg in my makeshift nesting box.

 

[JenniferCNY]

The first two eggs I got were on the ground. But I since put fake eggs in 2 of the 6 boxes and all eggs have been there since.

 

[aart]

Ok, sounds good. Thanks. I already have a fake egg in my makeshift nesting box.

Sometimes it take new layers awhile to catch on...can take up to a month or so before things smooth out.
Meanwhile, eggs everywhere, some of them can be rather funky looking, soft or thin shelled, huge double yolked eggs.

 

[GC-Raptor]

All 5 of my girls lay in the 2 nest boxes, I've had 5 between the 2 boxes. But not always. This morning I had 4 eggs in the nest boxes. When I checked this afternoon I found 1 in the run. Sometimes they just don't make it to the nest. My girls are 22 weeks today, so they are still young and learning about laying. GC

 

[cluckduckgoose]

Thanks, good to know.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Thanks, good to know.

Try putting a ceramic egg in each of the nest boxes. The ceramic egg is white.

 

[cluckduckgoose]

Should I still put a white egg in if none of my chickens lay white eggs?