Does the golf ball trick really work?

[tiffinimarie]

Does anyone know if the golf ball trick will work, especially since they lay dark dark brown eggs? I can't for the life of me get these new birds to lay in the nest. Any ideas?

Tiffini

 

[KingSpeck]

We put golf balls in our nesting boxes just before our chickens started laying and it worked for us. We've never had an egg laid anywhere else that I know of. Our girls are now a year old and we still leave the golf balls in there just as a reminder to them. Some of our girls lay brown eggs. It's worth a try.

 

[gritsar]

Tired of moving the golf balls around when I change out the hay in my nestboxes, I left all 13 of them in one nestbox. Guess which box all my girls use?
It doesn't matter what color egg the hen lays. Anything that remotely resembles an egg is good enough.

 

[cterbizan]

It does for the most part one of my chickens use to claim the nesting box so everyone else put their eggs on the ground but since we added more she gave up the box let the others use it.

 

[fldiver97]

I have wooden eggs in the nestboxes, just a couple in each. Placed them before they started laying and they don't care that some of them are white. None of my chickens lay white eggs. I have not tried to take them out though, don't want to rock the boat as it seems to work well enough for my girls

 

[felidaet]

Yes it works. When the chickens were young they occasionally layed their eggs in the coop and run. Now it is rare that I find an egg anywhere other then in the nest boxes. I have one golf ball in each next box. If I leave a golf ball out of a nest box after cleaning it the hens will not use the nest box. Then when I put the golf ball back in the nest box they start using it again.

 

[elmo]

You mention "new birds." Did you add birds to an existing flock? If so, the established hens may be bullying the new girls away from their preferred nesting spot. Are your new chickens laying somewhere else instead of where you want them to lay, or not laying yet? Tell us more....

 

[Supermommy486]

I think so. I put one in, actually to help in case a snake found the boxes, but that's where all of my layers lay right now.

 

[lilblessings5]

The Golf Balls worked to break my hens of Eating eggs. I still find a few on the floor now and again. Found One Outside Outside the coop door this morning- it was a first time pullets egg...so I'm hoping she finds the nests soon. I have my 19 week pullets in with 1 year old layers so I'm hoping they learn from the older girls.

 

[embkm]

It works usually. Last years hens, I had one stubborn EEer who refused to lay in the nest boxes no matter what. All the other good girls apparently read the instruction manual and laid in the box with the golf balls.