My dh built these nice, cozy nesting boxes in the coop, filled with clean hay and pine shavings and I am READY for eggs! Combs are getting bigger, redder as are faces of 16-17 weekers. But how do they know to lay there, as opposed to the forest and field where they hang out all day? Should I put a decoy in this early to encourage or wait and see if they are reading my mind correctly
I've found that once one lays in the box the rest follow suit, except for some stubborn ones that lay in a hidey spot. It wouldn't hurt to put a wooden egg in one or two of the boxes.
Hi 3nglishteacher, I teach English too. I usually place a golf ball in each nest to help with orientation.
Most people put in decoy eggs for new layers - golf balls work, plastic easter eggs, stone eggs, whatever you can find that looks sort of like an egg. Golf balls are cheap and readily available. But be prepared for them not to start in the nest boxes - mine kept laying on top of the next boxes until I blocked it so they couldn't. If you add to your flock after you have layers, usually the new ones will learn from the older ones - at least that's been my experience. Good luck - I hope you're enjoying fresh eggs soon - they sure are good! Liz