Encouraging nest boxes w plastic eggs - rhythm eggs? would these work?

[vermontgal]

So I have a purple plastic egg and one that is half pink and half blue. I also have a dark green rhythm egg (makes a shhhh-k noise when you shake it; it's a musical instrument) and a black rhythm egg. None of them are anything like the light green/blue or light brown eggs my chickens will hopefully eventually lay (age 25 wks now).

To encourage them to use the nest boxes, are these egg-shaped dark objects worth sticking in the coop, or should I spring for some golf balls or ping-pong balls?

I'd really like them to use the nest boxes vs. the top part of the coop (roost with dropping board below it, makes an enclosed area that might be tempting).

Thanks for any semi-knowledgeable guesses. (knowing that probably no one else has tried to use a black rhythm egg!)

 

[flakey chick]

My guess is that they should be fine. I was in the same situation, and I used a pecan (they are banties). My husband got the girls some fake banty sized eggs and they seem just as clueless. I will occassionally see them go in and check it out, then

"PECK PECK PECK. Hey, if this isn't food, then what is its purpose?"

Sigh, hopefully some day they will get with the program. They are just turning 24 weeks. I've seen a number of people here use all colors of easter eggs.

 

[Davidian]

I just did the same thing in my 3 nesting boxes... Maybe they will lay me more easter eggs?

 

[dancingbear]

I wouldn't waste a perfectly good rhythm egg on the chickens, but the plastic easter eggs should do fine. You might glue the halves together they tend to come apart. A broody hen will try to hatch a light bulb, or anything else vaguely egg shaped.

 

[vermontgal]

I didn't want to put a light bulb in there because I was worried they might peck at it and a broken light bulb in the nest does not seem like a good thing! I do also have a couple of egg-shaped beeswax candles that I might try - we made these a few years ago by pouring melted wax into a blown-out egg shell.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
There you go!! Take regular white candle wax and pour youself a few eggs in your chicken egg molds..
then just leave the shell on the waxc, what could look more real than that?? I am thinking the chickens body heat would deform the beeswax eggs..

anyhow, thanks for the neat idea..
I am going to try it..

.jiminwisc......

 

[chickenfever]

I don't know if you have a Cracker Barrel nearby, but I just bought ceramic eggs there. They look real, come in white or brown, and are were only $1.30 a piece.

 

[horsejody]

I use some plastic brown eggs I found at a flea market and a dozen golfballs to fool mine. Anything will do. Once I had a broodie that spent all summer sitting on a plastic dinosaur and a teenage mutant ninja turtle action figure. And NOBODY was going to take them away from her. She found them and built the nest around them.

edited because I forgot to proofread

 

[Davidian]

now that is AWESOME! I want a picture of the hatched ninja turtle...

 

[Chicken Woman]

I use wooden eggs frim the craft store. $1.99 for a package of 8