eggs laid in wrong place

[eggfooyung]

what has prompted a couple of my girls (i have 4) to start laying their eggs not in their nesting boxes but in their poop box? other than being inconvenient and sometimes messy, it's not a big deal but i'd like them to use their boxes. their roosts are highest point, poop box below, 2 nest boxes on separate wall half-way up the wall, they've been fine for 2 years laying in boxes till last month. thanks to jodyjo for responding...i will try curtains on the boxes. any other suggestions?

 

[Lucysmom002]

My babies that are just getting to laying age as well as the hens I got from the fair are starting to lay eggs on the floor. I found one right next to the water today. I hope someone answers.
I have a plastic egg in a box to see if that will help them. I've heard of putting golf balls or porcelain eggs in the boxes?

 

[JodyJo]

I am locking mine down today...nobody free ranges...found another secret nest last night, but it was full of broken eggs...so that's it....till they learn, it's the coop!

 

[galanie]

Yes, do put a golf ball or plastic egg or anything that looks like it could possibly be an egg in the nest box. I did that before mine started to lay and so far have never found an egg anywhere but in the nest box.

 

[motoclown]

Last year I made the mistake of taking warm eggs out from underneath my girls.
They decided they didn't like this and tried to start laying in the weeds, since then
I wait until they leave the nest box to gather eggs.

 

[M.sue]

I've found a few on the floor in the corner of the coop also. I'm gonna try watching and see who's doing it. Hopefully I'll be able to break them of it. Maybe harder than I think though. All are have not started laying yet, so I'm hoping it's a green hen and she'll figure it out.

 

[willkatdawson]

We've got 5 older hens and 4 Copper Maran pullets that were due to start laying at any moment. Yesterday I went down to the run to say hello, and saw a beautiful chocolate brown egg shell in the run....and the contents had been eaten. I sure hope they learn to go inside into the nest boxes like the older girls. They all get along, so it's not that they are scared to go inside.
Any suggestions on how to get them laying in the right place? I have been leaving at least one of the older girl's eggs in the nest box at all times.
And now I'm worried they'll turn into egg eaters.
Life with chickens is never dull!!

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
I am now putting my girls in jail...I have 2 secret nests...they hold them in till I let them free range then they bullet to these nests...some lay inside though..so today, nobody leaves till I say so!
they have only been laying about a week or two, I found 4 in one nest box yesterday....we left them in a bit longer.

You can try to catch them, but yesterday I caught one of mine, and I knew I wouldn't make it to the nest with her, she dropped it within seconds into the secret nest...so I know to watch her...but you can try to put them in the nest boxes...good luck, I am dealing with this issue also...

 

[galanie]

Just wondering since I may have missed it in the posts, but did any of you whose hens are not laying in nest boxes put anything like a fake egg in there? I see one left a real egg in, that counts, but just wondered about the others.

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
I do have golf balls in mine, and did find 4 eggs in that nest box yesterday, but I am going to leave them in there for a bit, till they really get the hang of it, they just push them out of the way...