First eggs...on henhouse floor..???

[Shore]

First eggs (& my first hens)! One in the nesting box...6 on the floor of the henhouse! Have been away for a few days, so not sure who or when. I have 5 hens (23 wks). How do I train them to lay in the boxes?? Thank you!!!

 

[SueT]

Are there fake eggs in the boxes? That will help....

 

[Ursuline Chick]

have you tried putting fake eggs in the nesting boxes?

 

[Shore]

Are there fake eggs in the boxes? That will help....

Like plastic Easter eggs? or wooden eggs? I'm new to this, TY

 

[Ursuline Chick]

we have used plastic eggs, but they don't last. We had old alabaster eggs 2 of them placed in 2 of our 6 laying boxes and they have worked like magic. Have only had a few eggs laid elsewhere in over 5 years. Golf balls work to. Good luck, let us know if it works.

 

[SueT]

Like plastic Easter eggs? or wooden eggs? I'm new to this, TY

If you have plastic easter eggs, you can use them...golf balls if you have those. Your feed store will sell ceramic nest eggs made for the purpose. Just get something in those nests because they get in a habit of where to lay.
Good luck!

 

[byounghusband]

We just got nesting boxes in the coop. The first 12 eggs were out in our yard. Now we have 4 boxes with 6 fake eggs in them, but I have only found two eggs from the hens in the nesting boxes and four more in the coop like what you found... I wonder how long it will take the girls to get it... Normally they are really smart...

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Be patient, the longer they went without boxes, the longer it may take for them to catch on. May want to put the real eggs they lay in the yard, into the laying boxes and pick them up at the end of the day.

 

[byounghusband]

That would be a great idea, if we hadn't eaten some of them.... We're new at this, so those remaining eggs are in the fridge. I guess we'll put any more eggs laid on the coop floor in the nest boxes.

Be patient, the longer they went without boxes, the longer it may take for them to catch on. May want to put the real eggs they lay in the yard, into the laying boxes and pick them up at the end of the day.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Like others suggested. Ceramic eggs or golf balls. Easter eggs/plastic eggs are light and will easily be kicked out of nest. If they are are two halves, open and put clean sand, gravel or small stones in one half and glue together, for extra weight. If you have a large coop, keep them in coop till noon. If you free range then keep them in the run till noon, then you can search the run for eggs. But not all eggs are laid in the morning, so you'll still have to search the yard. GC