Egg hunt- where will they be today!

[NewChickMamaHere]

Hello!
I have 3 hens. We had a great first winter raising our new chicken family. Our hens are now 10 months old. Laying eggs has never really been their specialty but they've gotten better. They were definitely very late starting. One only laid 4 eggs and hasn't laid anymore since and that's been 2 months. As for the others they've had a hard time figuring out how to use the nesting boxes. I've put a variety of nesting pads in them but the girls will usually just pull them apart. There are also 2 fake eggs in the nesting boxes as well. I've also put treats in there hoping that will encourage them to go in. They only eat the treats they can reach at the front. As a result the girls lay eggs on the coop floor. Now they have decided to make a little nest on one side of the pop shelf, this is not the side they roost on, and lay their eggs. I am at a loss. How can I encourage these girls to use the nesting box??

 

[Livia Ammon]

I have the same problem. No matter what I do, my chickens find a new stupid place to lay.

 

[HoneyBeeHomestead]

Hello! Do you have any pictures of the nesting boxes? There could be something they don't like about them.
Are they easily accessible? In a dark spot? Have you tried using the same bedding you use on your coop floor in the nesting box?
You can try covering/blocking off the areas where they are currently laying.

 

[rosemarythyme]

x2 on the photos. Have you ever seen any of the birds in the nests messing around (other than going for treats) or even looking inside? I usually catch pullets starting to stick their heads in, and then a little later, jumping in to explore, before they begin laying.

I'd also stop putting treats in, I wouldn't want them to think of a nest box as a magic snack dispenser.