Chickens wont lay in their nesting boxes….Please help…..

[kwk1950]

My red sex-link chickens are begining to lay eggs. They lay them under their roosts in alum pans filled with cat litter for clean up purposes. Cant get them to lay in their boxes. Any help? Do I need curtains? They kick out easter eggs (plastics) Any help? Thanks…..

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Try using wooden fake eggs. If the nests are in bright light then you may have to hang curtains.

Also, take caution when using cat litter. Make sure the chickens don't eat it as it can swell in their crop causing problems.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/906267/nesting-box

In addition to that thread, try raising the lip on your nests. Chickens like to rearrange the bedding before they lay by scratching. They can scratch bedding, fake eggs, or real eggs out when doing this. A fairly high lip stops the stuff from coming out so easily.

If you are going to use plastic Easter eggs, fill them with something heavy, maybe sand, plaster of Paris, whatever, and try gluing them closed. It’s easier for them to scratch out ping pong balls or those plastic eggs because they are so light. You can try golf balls, wooden or ceramic eggs, or something heavier than those plastic eggs to see if that helps.

I tried sand in mine but after a while the glue failed so I got some cheap golf balls.

 

[Pecanny]

My red sex-link chickens are begining to lay eggs. They lay them under their roosts in alum pans filled with cat litter for clean up purposes. Cant get them to lay in their boxes. Any help? Do I need curtains? They kick out easter eggs (plastics) Any help? Thanks…..

Sex links are notorious for not wanting to lay in boxes. My sex links will only lay in 5 gallon plastic buckets on the ground inside their pen. They love the buckets.

 

[kwk1950]

I dont want to get rid of the boxes. I have put some golf balls in there in groups of 3 in a couple of nests. I have hung some curtains in 4 boxes to keep the light down some. I open the outside door on the nesting boxes and they jump up in thinking Im giving them a treat. Hope they get use to the curtains and golf balls. they are about 20 wks old and got one egg this morning under the roost. Thought this might be easy. Hehe. Any more suggestions ????
Thanks…..

 

[Pecanny]

Quote:I still have my laying boxes in the pen. I just couldn't get them to lay in the boxes, even after trying every trick (golf balls, ect...), that until I tried the 5 gallon buckets at the advice of a friend. They began laying immediately. My buff orpington is the same...She also lays in the bucket and snubs the nice laying boxes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When pullets first start to lay it’s not unusual for them to just drop the first few eggs wherever they are, from the roost or just walking around. It’s like they don’t know what is going on and have no control over the process. When they gain control of laying they will look for a nest and lay there.

It’s also not that unusual for the first few eggs to be weird. They might be soft-shelled or no shell, really hard shelled, double-yolked, tiny with no yolk, tiny with a yolk and no white, wrinkled, funny colors, really weird stuff. The egg laying process is fairly complicated. It’s surprising that most actually get it right to start with both in the eggs being perfect (if a little small) and laid in nests.

It is quite probable that the first egg you saw was an accident from the roost. My suggestion right now is to not panic. Be a bit patient and see what happens. Sounds like you’ve done what you can until you get a better handle on what is going on.

 

[SandyK]

I have a young Barred Rock doing the same thing. Now 2 other chickens are joining her. Little pile of eggs under the big nest boxes. Crazy ladies!!