Does it take new egg layers a while to know to lay in the nest box?

[Lisa202]

Hi All,

I posted last Thursday that my 16 week old EE started laying eggs.

The first one was crushed (I wasn't looking for any yet, so it must have gotten stepped on in the 2 days it was on the floor of the coop) Since then I have gotten 2 more, one every other day, and she keeps laying them out in the middle of the coop. It's just by chance that the last 2 haven't gotten stepped on also.

So my question is...will she eventually know to lay in the nest box or do I have to intervene?

Did I mention how excited I am that I'm getting eggs???!!!

 

[gritsar]

Congrats on the eggs.

Have you "seeded" the nestboxes with golfballs, fake eggs or other sorta egg shaped objects to give her the idea?

 

[jen5680]

Some of mine use the nest box, several drop them in the middle of the coop floor STILL!!
Sometimes next to the box, behind it, anywere BUT the nest box.
Sometimes they get it, sometimes they don't??? Gotta love um!!

 

[Fred's Hens]

They tend to "compete" and "companion" with other layers. Once one or two are laying in the nest, they all seem to really, really want to get in there. Sometimes, there is even two sharing the experience together. They don't seem to mind at all. I swear, but cannot prove it, that my pullets "watch" my hens and pick up the idea quickly.

 

[justbugged]

Most of the hens will finally figure out the nest boxes on their own. It could be that as soon as one of them figures out the boxes, then the rest of others will follow her example. Then there are a few hens that never figure out the nest box thing.

 

[catdaddy66]

Mine did have some difficulty at first but soon they all got it right. Ocassionaly they still lay an egg out of the nest but this is rare.