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

[humblehillsfarm]

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!

That is a super interesting idea, especially since the other boxes have natural wood behind them and are darker.


Also I found an egg hiding under a roost so oops. Not everyone is corrected apparently.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Time to celebrate! This was the hen laying in the coffee grounds and then on the Lowe’s bag!!!! I am anxious to see if I find an egg in a little bit.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Update: patience and persistence is indeed key. All chickens are now laying in the nest boxes, including a total of three new layers (one of them restarted after winter molt).

While I’d been letting them out in the afternoons, the weather has been so bad that nearly all of the flock spends the entire day in the coop. They wouldn’t have done that in the old coop so I am thrilled that they feel comfortable enough to stay indoors.

For everyone dealing with this crazy winter storm, stay safe!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Another update: when a lot of my older layers started laying in the spring they all started laying in various places under or around the nest boxes. No even the younger layers lay under the box. Oh well, at least it’s in the coop.

 

[aart]

Another update: when a lot of my older layers started laying in the spring they all started laying in various places under or around the nest boxes. No even the younger layers lay under the box. Oh well, at least it’s in the coop.

Ingrates!

 

[cassie]

Do you have fake eggs in the nest box? You can get fake eggs that look and feel just like real ones. If you have brown egg layers get white eggs and if you have white egg layers get brown eggs. Either that or mark them. That way you won't try to make an omelet out of a fake egg like I once did.