Fake eggs for laying encouragement

[pouletdile]

I've been told to put fake eggs into my nest boxes for laying encouragement. What kind???? I've seen wooden, ceramic, and someone told me to just use plastic easter eggs. Thoughts? Suggestions?
My chicks were hatched May24th so I starting to get antsy.
Thanks.

 

[pgpoultry]

Yes, I think it will encourage your girls to lay in a particular place but will not influence when they start to lay.

It really does not matter what type of fake eggs you use (or even golf balls).

My Brahmas were April hatchlings and I'm not expecting anything this side of winter.

What sort of hens are they?

Sandie

 

[Braclin]

Ive tried all three and it has worked for me. The only thing I havent tried is golf balls, but many swear by it. Good Luck!!

 

[Judy]

Any of the above. Many people use golf balls. It's not to encourage them to lay, but to encourage them to lay in the nest box. They will lay when they lay; we can't do a thing about it.

If I counted correctly, that's 14 weeks old. 20 is about average. Maybe you will get lucky and get a 17 or 18 weeker.

Just read about one pullet who was a year old, a hen, before she laid. You didn't want to hear that, did you???

 

[pouletdile]

no, almost 19wks. i switched them to laying pellets about 2wks ago. there is a mix of rocks, bo, americana, polish top hats, ba, marins

 

[kano]

Quote:
Rigth.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Oops, guess I can't count. You get to start watching for reddened combs now! Good luck.

 

[Ohhhdear]

I bought some brown ceramic eggs when I found the first egg in the straw in the coop rather in the nest box. They're the same weight and size as a large egg. I had the next boxes closed off from the main coop with cardboard. When the first egg came I took out the cardboard and set a ceramic egg in the shredded paper in the nest boxes.
Someone told me the plastic easter eggs were too lightweight and too brightly colored, especially the red or pink ones as chickens would peck at anything red. She used the green and yellow eggs and filled them with sand, then glued them shut.

 

[Beckyinma]

After we found our first egg in the middle of the coop (with a shell-less egg next to it) the next day I brought out a few yellow and blue plastic easter eggs. Held them in my hand in the pen and let the girls peck at them, so they could see that pecking at them didn't make them taste better, then I put them in the nest boxes. the one that is currently laying (all at 21 weeks) immediately started rooting around in the nest boxes, and has layed her next 3 eggs in the nest boxes. I'm hoping the other 5 get the point and follow the leader soon. She's 4 up on them so far! LOL

 

[gryeyes]

I used the plastic Easter eggs filled with sand, glued shut, for a while. I also used colors like blue and bright yellow and red so *I* would not think I had an egg in a nest when there wasn't one. They worked fine; I think if a chicken does peck at the egg and CANNOT pierce it, that's a GOOD THING.

But the chickens move those eggs around from nest to nest. Amazing. Eventually I stepped on one... So now I just use golf balls, which also work perfectly fine.

And the only encouragement the faux eggs provide is to show the pullets WHERE to lay. They won't stimulate any urge to lay before a pullet is ready to do so.