Four days in new coop and chickens refuse to lay in nest box. Advice?

[aart]

I forgot to mention that I've been turning the light on an hour early in the morning in hopes to coax some more experience layers into laying.

I hope you're using a timer?

I could probably put some gravel in there to weight them down though.

Sand then glue shut if needed.
Golf balls work too, if you have access to those.

I just really, really want them to lay in the correct nest box.

We want, chickens laugh.
You'll get the last laugh tho if you are P&P.

persistent and patient.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I feel like I already know the answers here, but still I thought someone could offer up some of their experience. I moved my girls to a new coop and they refuse to lay in the nest boxes. Initially I had some real and fake eggs, 1-2 eggs in three out of eight available nest boxes, and they just lay in the floor. They are all newer layers and in the old coop they were laying in the nest boxes. The new boxes are about 11.5” wide, 12” deep, and up to 12” tall. The boxes are about 6” off the floor.


I also have an extra brooding coop attached to the main coop with nest boxes on the floor. If given access, they will lay in those boxes but I can’t let that continue because I need the space for breeding. When I blocked off those boxes they laid in the floor. I’ve also caught one about to lay and repeatedly picked her up and showed her the correct nest box.

After four days I’ve picked up each egg that had been laid and put it in a nest box. Will too many eggs deter them? Will their behavior ever change? I don’t want to leave them locked up longer than necessary. This is causing more anxiety than it should lol.

Where I want them to lay:
View attachment 2512926

Where they had been laying until I blocked the boxes:
View attachment 2512927


And yes, they have coop litter now.
View attachment 2512928

Your coop is adorable

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I hope you're using a timer?

No timer, but I get home about 20-30 minutes before dark and turn it off. This only extends their light time to about 11 hours though, so I don't have high hopes of this doing me much good. If I had a timer I'd use it. I'm not normally an advocate for forcing them to lay early, but they have had a break since October so I don't feel too guilty either. For a brief 2-3 weeks my barred rock started laying, but then stopped again. I was hoping at least she would start back up and show the newbies what to do.

We want, chickens laugh.
You'll get the last laugh tho if you are P&P.

I think they've found ways to manipulate me just like the cats and dog do lol. Hopefully I'm just anxious over something time will fix, as you said.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Your coop is adorable

Thank you We've put a lot of love into it only to have our girls give us a big thumbs down! Lol

 

[aart]

No timer,

If your light is plugged into a socket, a household timer is cheap and easy and ensures constituency(which is pretty important).

 

[ChicNmom]

If your girls are still not using the beautiful new boxes try putting some grain or meal worms in them. Let them see you throw it in the boxes.

They get set in their ways and the more you try to force them in the more they will resist.

Some treats may make it a place they want to go. Then they hopefully will see how nice and comfy they are for egg laying.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Little update: my errant coffee-ground layer found her box missing and laid on a Lowe’s bag today, BUT I found a brand spanking new egg in the correct nest boxes and an olive egg! The new egg was tiny and a very interesting shade of very light slate-blue. I don’t know how else to describe it. The newest layers are all mutts but thus far the only one to lay that knew of is laying a nice blue egg. Things are looking up somewhat.

 

[CSolis]

YAY!! So glad they are figuring it out.. I was sure they would. We get so anxious at times. Doesn't do a bit of good.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

We get so anxious at times. Doesn't do a bit of good.

Too bad telling yourself to calm down doesn’t work!

 

[LaFleche]

To me the new nests look much brighter as the backwall is white and reflects the light.
I think I would paint the wall behind the nests a dark colour to make it more cosy.


Congrats on your new egg!