Generally disappointed in my chickens. How big of a fight is this going to be? *Update page 2*

[furbabymum]

Can you switch the split or is that too much?

I would confine the hens to a temporary penned off area in the barn and have a nice private, and dark nest box for them to use, with no access to any other 'hidey holes'. Just water and feed and the dark nest box area.

You have to unlearn what she has in her head and chickens are not the brightest bulb in the box. Once they learn something they get it, so make it impossible for her to continue with what she has learned and re-train her to the new area. If she can get out then she will continue to go to the same spot she is comfortable with. Put fake eggs in their anyway - and leave them there. Chickens don't look for a place to build a nest and look for someone else to have picked out a good spot and figure if it was good for another hen it is good for them.

Have some patience - it takes a bit to condition them (and that includes passive force) (i.e. can't get back to the old nest at least until the new nest box is being used).

I waited to build the nest boxes and put them up until I thought they should be laying. I'm wondering if that was just a dumb idea on my part. I could have had them in there the entire time and the hens would have been familiar with them. Probably shot myself in the foot with this one. I just want some eggs. Where are my eggs. WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[7L Farm]

I usually build the coop with everything in place before adding the chickens. Well, the last coop I built I added the nest boxes when the chickens were around 14 weeks old. I found the first egg the other day & it was in the boxs. I think its best to have everything ready in the coop from the get go.
I don't let them out of their coop till their the same size as my other flocks. Thats around three months old. They for sure know where home is & everything about their coop by then.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I waited to build the nest boxes and put them up until I thought they should be laying. I'm wondering if that was just a dumb idea on my part. I could have had them in there the entire time and the hens would have been familiar with them. Probably shot myself in the foot with this one. I just want some eggs. Where are my eggs. WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

You say that your hens should have been laying two weeks ago--how old are they now, exactly? For instance, I expect my white Leghorns to lay around 19 weeks, but my EEs I don't expect to start laying until 25 weeks or so. It's very breed dependent.

Also, I second the advice to find a way to lock the birds in the place they're supposed to lay. When I move pullets to the "big house," everyone gets locked in for at least one week before they get to go out to pasture again. Seems to be the only way to get them to stop going to bed in the pullet house and start going to bed in the layer house.

 

[furbabymum]

You say that your hens should have been laying two weeks ago--how old are they now, exactly? For instance, I expect my white Leghorns to lay around 19 weeks, but my EEs I don't expect to start laying until 25 weeks or so. It's very breed dependent.

Also, I second the advice to find a way to lock the birds in the place they're supposed to lay. When I move pullets to the "big house," everyone gets locked in for at least one week before they get to go out to pasture again. Seems to be the only way to get them to stop going to bed in the pullet house and start going to bed in the layer house.

22 weeks. I've got a barred rock, australorp, RIR, and sex link. The RIR and Australorp are the ones who built and were laying in the 2 hidden nests. There were 6 eggs in all so I'm not sure how long they'd been laying in secret.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

22 weeks. I've got a barred rock, australorp, RIR, and sex link. The RIR and Australorp are the ones who built and were laying in the 2 hidden nests. There were 6 eggs in all so I'm not sure how long they'd been laying in secret.

That RSL's laying somewhere, lol. I'd be shocked if she wasn't. Those are among the first to lay. I could see the Rock waiting a bit, since those are such heavy bodied birds.

 

[furbabymum]

That RSL's laying somewhere, lol. I'd be shocked if she wasn't. Those are among the first to lay. I could see the Rock waiting a bit, since those are such heavy bodied birds.

For the life of me I can't think of anywhere else they'd be going to lay. They have a very large run but it's very open. I suppose I should go check every corner. Argh!!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I feel your pain. Waiting for eggs drives me crazy. I have some 5 month old pullets right now, and if they don't lay before the weather changes, it may be next spring before I see an egg. I'll go nuts.

 

[furbabymum]

So last night while doing my chores I noticed a bag of shredded paper had been all ripped to pieces. Turns out the hens have been laying INSIDE the bag of paper. This is the 3rd nest they've made in shredded paper so the light bulb finally went off. I took all the hay out of their nest boxes and filled them with shredded paper. I then put the eggs they'd lain into the nest boxes. I'm hoping they get a light bulb moment today!

 

[furbabymum]

Oh. I have a friend who keeps telling me my chickens work for the Easter Bunny. Hiding the eggs. lol

 

[Daisy8s]

I then put the eggs they'd lain into the nest boxes. I'm hoping they get a light bulb moment today!

Did you mark the old eggs that were already lain so you can tell them apart from any newly laid eggs? Might want to do that so you aren't eating old eggs.

My hens like the shredded paper in their nesting boxes, too!