Egg laying related Questions

[Normark]

Hello All...

A few questions about my chickens and laying eggs...

Can you train them to lay in the boxes and not all over the place.. ??

A few of my girls want to lay eggs in the neighbors yard in the long grass.. When I see them headed over there I go get them and put them in a nest box, but they are sometimes determined to go back..I'm starting to tell which have laid and which haven't, the ones looking like they are looking for a place to lay, I lock up in the coop until they have laid,, but I'd prefer them all to lay and be able to go and graze...

Any way to Sync them up so they all lay at the same time ??

Beaks and Bills

Eric

 

[Ridgerunner]

Can you train them to lay in the boxes and not all over the place.. ??

You can, and sometimes it even works. First, I'm a strong believer in the value of putting a fake egg in the nest and leaving it there. I've seen them follow a fake egg from nest to nest. I've seen them lay on the coop floor next to a fake egg that got kicked out of the nest. I recommend gold balls, but anything the size and shape of an egg will do.

When I find one laying outside the coop and run, I lock them in the coop and run for about a week. I'm trying to break them of the habit of laying in the other nest. It really helps to find the other nest and take away any eggs that are there for when you turn them loose. You can often tell which one it is because they are pacing the fence, clearly desperate to get out.

When I have one regularly laying on the coop floor, I lock her in a nest box until she lays. When I see her on her nest on the floor, she goes into a regular nest. I start checking a half hour later and most have laid by then. Usually I only have to do this once and they get the message, but one hen took three times and a few hours to get to lay. She was stubborn.

Any way to Sync them up so they all lay at the same time ??

No way I am aware of.