first eggs this week, but they’re on the floor

[DickMidnight]

we got our first eggs this week. my wife found one yesterday and i found one today.

i’m not sure which hen is laying them, but she seems to have made herself a makeshift nest in the corner of the coop floor. that’s where we found both eggs.

here are my nesting boxes. they’re full of hay and i bought ceramic eggs for them.

what else can i do to promote laying in the boxes instead of on the floor?

 

[cherrynberry]

we got our first eggs this week. my wife found one yesterday and i found one today.

i’m not sure which hen is laying them, but she seems to have made herself a makeshift nest in the corner of the coop floor. that’s where we found both eggs.

here are my nesting boxes. they’re full of hay and i bought ceramic eggs for them. View attachment 2936911
what else can i do to promote laying in the boxes instead of on the floor?

Give her some time. They can be a bit naive in the beginning. Sounds like you are doing a good job.

 

[Sara S]

Try puttting a ladder, maybe they don’t want to jump

 

[Sara S]

Give her some time. They can be a bit naive in the beginning. Sounds like you are doing a good job.

we got our first eggs this week. my wife found one yesterday and i found one today.

i’m not sure which hen is laying them, but she seems to have made herself a makeshift nest in the corner of the coop floor. that’s where we found both eggs.

here are my nesting boxes. they’re full of hay and i bought ceramic eggs for them. View attachment 2936911
what else can i do to promote laying in the boxes instead of on the floor?

True that the coop looks amazing

 

[DickMidnight]

Give her some time. They can be a bit naive in the beginning. Sounds like you are doing a good job.

i thought that might be the case, but i figured i’d just make sure there wasn’t anything else i could do to help her out

 

[DickMidnight]

Try puttting a ladder, maybe they don’t want to jump

they’ve definitely been in the boxes. the hay has been kicked around and i’ve had to replace it a few times over the last few weeks.

 

[cherrynberry]

i thought that might be the case, but i figured i’d just make sure there wasn’t anything else i could do to help her out

Some people will tell you curtains help. To me, its just like adding to your problems. Chickens aren't THAT picky.

 

[rosemarythyme]

they’ve definitely been in the boxes. the hay has been kicked around and i’ve had to replace it a few times over the last few weeks.

This is a good sign, because my first question was going to be: do they know the boxes are there? Silly enough, sometimes there's birds who don't notice the nest boxes until they've already begun laying.

I'd give them a bit of time and see if they can figure it out. If not, work on IDing the bird which is laying in the corner, as I have some tips if you can make a positive ID.

 

[DickMidnight]

Some people will tell you curtains help. To me, its just like adding to your problems. Chickens aren't THAT picky.

i don’t want to mess with curtains at all. but i was considering putting a plywood roof on the boxes to both provide a little privacy and keep birds from getting on top of the boxes.

 

[DickMidnight]

If not, work on IDing the bird which is laying in the corner, as I have some tips if you can make a positive ID.

i’m gonna try to figure it out mostly for my
own curiosity. once i do, any tips you have would be great.