egg hiding game...

[Northie]

So apparently I have very poor taste in nest boxes. I thought if I gave them boxes exactly like the ones I saw on byc, they'd be thrilled! Nope, and that bucket idea no way. So we play the egg hiding game. Under the ramp, behind the bin, random corners or the best yet right in front of the door where big chicken mama (me) has to be careful not to crush them when I come in.
Silly girls lol

 

[chickengeorgeto]

So apparently I have very poor taste in nest boxes. I thought if I gave them boxes exactly like the ones I saw on byc, they'd be thrilled! Nope, and that bucket idea no way. So we play the egg hiding game. Under the ramp, behind the bin, random corners or the best yet right in front of the door where big chicken mama (me) has to be careful not to crush them when I come in.
Silly girls lol

Your taste in nesting boxes is perfect. The problem is that you failed to ask your hens which nest boxes that they prefer.

Ok I'm being facieses. Hens chose nesting locations with an eye towards their own safety from predators during incubation, coupled with the best environment for eggs to develop into chicks. They mostly prefer dark, secluded, locations usually close to or at ground level.

All birds that lay large clutches of eggs nest on the ground or Earth. The reason is the steady temps of bare earth coupled with higher relative humidity helps keep the eggs viable longer or in other words until incubation begins. Try working with your hens instead of trying to bring your hens around to your way of thinking.

 

[chickens r life]

This might sound stupid after that huge essay (that happened to help me a lot) but try and putting some white golf balls in the nesting boxes to help encourage them to lay in the nesting boxes. You can also buy some fake plastic eggs that are for just for people in ur situation. Hope this helps

!!

 

[Northie]

Silly girls! I blocked off under the ramp and put a new "nest" blocking the entrance to get under there. It had hay already premade into a nice round little nest with a dummy egg set in there just "perfect"
Ya... or so I thought lol!

They dumped out the egg trashed he cute little nest, moved the bucket, dug all of bedding out from under the ramp and then ... made a real nest and laid a real egg in it.
Sigh... I guess that is where I will be collecting eggs this summer like it or not.