Egg Decoys Yay or Nay? Timing?

[bwebster]

Mornin!! I have 5 BR hens getting on very well and a couple are getting nice red faces and dropping waddles. They are about 16 weeks now. I know we have some time yet before they start laying, although I've been told they may start as early as now. Not holding my breath though.

My question(s) is about decoy eggs, golf balls, etc.... Do they work? Is it just to let them know where to lay as I suspect? And is now a good time to set them in the nesting boxes?

Thanks everyone!!

 

[darbymomma]

Following for advice.

 

[RojoMarz]

I opened some nesting boxes and put decoy eggs in. Not once have my pullets used those boxes, but instead managed to get to a box that wasn't intended to be opened. It had no nesting material or decoy egg. I rearranged which boxes were available and included "that" one (but w/o decoy egg). They tend to choose it still. I guess the decoy eggs helped direct them to the boxes, in general, as that is the only place they have laid.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My question(s) is about decoy eggs, golf balls, etc.... Do they work?

Often. You are dealing with living animals, nothing works 100% of the time. Occasionally a pullet will start to lay somewhere else. But I've had more than one experience where a real or fake egg was somewhere it should not have been and a hen laid an egg with it. When I move the eggs she stops laying there. I use golf balls. I leave one golf ball in each nest even when I just have older hens. I think they help.

Is it just to let them know where to lay as I suspect?

For me, yes. Other people give other reasons. I've had a snake swallow golf balls as if they were eggs. Some people feel that will kill the snake, others think they can regurgitate them so it does not kill them. I don't know which is correct. Sometimes the fake egg will stop them from getting back out the hole that they came in by which with me means it is fatal to them. I've also had snakes eat real eggs but not touch the golf balls. Nothing works 100% of the time.

Some people feel that a solid hard egg helps stop them from becoming an egg eater. They try to peck the egg apart but can't so they quit trying. I don't know how effective this is. An egg eater is a chicken that purposely opens an egg to eat it, I've had one of those with the golf balls in the nest. If an egg is already broken many chickens will eat it. I do not consider them and egg eater because they did not purposely break it, just took advantage of an accident.

Many hens like to lay where other hens are laying. Don't be too surprised if you see all or most of your eggs in just one nest. I've seen three hens crowded into one nest laying while other nests were wide open, all with a golf ball. Which nest is popular can vary too, usually weekly or monthly but even day to day. Some people feel that having a fake egg helps spread the eggs around to different nests. I'm not sure how much that helps if at all. But I also don't have a problem with them all using the same nest of they want to.

And is now a good time to set them in the nesting boxes?

Yes, now is a great time. Sometimes but not 100% of the time a pullet will start looking for a good place to make a nest about a week before she starts to lay. I want my nests to be in that consideration. Some pullets act as if they don't know an egg is coming. They may drop their first eggs anywhere, from the roosts or just walking around. Don't be surprised if you see something like that. The egg laying process is pretty complicated, sometimes it takes a while for a pullet to work out all the kinks in that process. Part of that process is putting the egg together correctly, that's why some pullet eggs can be weird. Part of that process is controlling when and where that egg is laid. What is surprising to me is how many get all the parts right to start with.

I have had a very few pullets lay their first egg at 16 weeks. If their combs are getting red it is a pretty good sign it should not be that much longer.

Good luck!

 

[bwebster]

Thank you! Very useful info. 4 of the 5 are slowly getting redder, one is looking like a full blown hen. Hopefully I'll see some sort of turn on this investment soon!

 

[aart]

I'm a big fan of fake eggs, have both golf balls and TSC ones(which many call 'ceramic' but are actually some kind of plaster).
I keep one in each nest full time, helps 'spread the love'...tho there is still 'fav nest of the day' and sometimes squabbles over a preferred nest when there's traffic jam.
Sometimes I will gather eggs frequently during the day, if I have a softy layer or when pullets are coming into lay, and replace each gathered egg with a fakie.
Have only seen one instance where a newly laying pullet refused to lay in a nest with fakie,
she got over it within a week.