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.

 

[NewChickMamaHere]

Hello,
I hadn't thought of the treats in that way. I like your reference, lol. They have ripped apart one of the nesting pads and spread it over the Coop floor. The other one they seem to pull at it until it's halfway out.

 

[NewChickMamaHere]

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.

Hi,
We have tried blocking off the areas but they seem to be very creative and persistent girls. They always find a way. I dont have any pictures of the nesting box. The nesting boxes are 1 foot off the ground, so they're pretty easy to get too. It's darker than where they're laying now but I haven't tried using the same material as the Coop floor. I think I'll try that. Thank you!

 

[NewChickMamaHere]

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

Aren't they something! Lol

 

[Livia Ammon]

K, I finally took action. I’ve shut them into their stall and put feed bags filled with straw onto the corners. I filled the rollout nest box with straw and put clean fake eggs in it. It’s working a lil bit more each day!

 

[NewChickMamaHere]

K, I finally took action. I’ve shut them into their stall and put feed bags filled with straw onto the corners. I filled the rollout nest box with straw and put clean fake eggs in it. It’s working a lil bit more each day!

I'm happy to hear you're finally seeing some success! I gonna keep at it too

 

[Livia Ammon]

I only got 3 that were on the ground yesterday, and out of the 13 laying hens, that’s pretty good.