First egg but hens not going into nesting box?

[iwiw60]

I'll get a couple of 2×4 and get something made. Thanks

YAY!!!!

 

[cowhlb]

I purchased 2 Little Giant nesting boxes, I have not seen any of the hens attempt to jump up and go in. I've tried to place a few chickens inside but they wanted nothing to do with i, I didnt force the issue anymore.

Today we got our first egg however it was laid while roosting and landed in the sand below, intact but...

I read I could put a fake egg and all in the nest box to get them to lay there however don't they have to check out the box to even know there is a fake egg up there? Not sure how to get my girls up into the nesting box.

Put a few golf balls in the nest. My chickens started laying when they saw the 'egg looking' things.

 

[Ramblin Rooster]

If you take their eggs after they've been laid and stick them in there maybe they will get it. Or if you see one trying to lay an egg on the ground then stick them in the box.

 

[Erin Boyer]

How about trying something simple first, like putting an upside down milk crate under the nest box perch, just to see if that helps get them up to it?

 

[vintagegem]

I bought 2 of those Little Giant nest boxes also....and my only laying hen would not go near them no matter what we tried!, in the end my husband fashioned a wooden nest box for her, he popped her in there and 30 minutes later she laid an egg!, he's going to be making another one for us this week as my other hens should start laying soon.....needless to say my 2 super smart and unused Little Giant boxes will soon be for sale on Craigslist

 

[Amanda Sparks]

I don't have a picture, but we use empty 50 lb kitty litter tubs. Our chickens took right to them.

 

[Anirtj]

I just replaced my bucket nests with those and my hens love them. I have some Sinatra Arial sized hens too. When our first hens started laying I did put some ceramic eggs in the next boxes. Seemed to have worked. The darn things were so realistic we collected them a few times and once I gave them unknowingly to a friend who brought them back confused. LOL

 

[Chicken Pimp]

So, I found my second egg on the floor today as I was building this. I'll wait and see...

 

[rmurrayslcut]

I have four nesting boxes built into the coop, and my hens just started naturally using the one in the corner; I think because it offers the most privacy.

I also built a separate one that's enclosed, like a little dog house, located outside the coop. Sometimes they use that, sometimes they lay on the ground or near their nesting area. They'll figure it out. I suggest you create an aura of privacy, whether it's by closing coop door, etc.

I heard that fake eggs will point them in the right direction; I was going to try it but my early layers just figured it out, by themselves.

The funny thing is, they all want to lay in the same box, and wait in line to do so. I've got boxes galore, but they want the same box.

 

[Ryoohkey]

When my hens started laying I found eggs everywhere on the ground next to the door in the middle of their run, I had to be careful not to step on any but after 2-3 days they learned there were nesting boxes in their coops and started to use those