Get girls to lay in their nesting box?

[mtessdoan]

We rescued 3 girls that are estimated at ~6mo old. They only just started on layer feed (with us) and have oyster shells as free choice. They're sleeping in their roosting box/nesting box but so far haven't seemed to lay yet.

Basically I'm wanting to avoid having them start laying randomly in the yard under a bush or something...

They never had experienced hens around them and this is my first go with young chickens. Do I get a fake egg and put it in the nesting box? Do I wait for them to start laying first?

Thanks!

 

[Dmontgomery]

Either way will work, but you'd have to hunt down the first eggs in the yard. The better plan is to get a couple fake eggs and place them in the boxes. You don't want them sleeping in the same place they are laying the eggs. It will get really messy quick! Either put up a roosting bar higher than the nesting box or lower the nesting box so they roost somewhere else.

 

[mtessdoan]

There are two roosting bars in the front part of the box that they used to sleep on in the first few nights they were here but now they all three squish into one roosting box!

They were cages up in a box their whole lives so they are new to this concept... How do I get them to sleep on the roosting bars?

I'm happy to get some fake eggs

 

[Dmontgomery]

They should instinctively go to roost at the highest point possible. I hate to say it but I really think you need a bigger coop. That one looks tiny.