Getting chickens to lay in the boxes?

[Ste]

We have 10 chickens and 3 nesting boxes. We use pine shavings with the DLM and I put pine shavings in the nesting boxes. My girls clean all the shavings out of the boxes and then lay outside of the boxes on the coop floor. I have a few who will lay in the boxes but not sure which ones. How do I get them to go into the boxes to lay? Any tricks?

 

[GreggsEggs]

Ive heard of a lot of tricks like......putting a golf ball in the nests, putting a fake egg in them. I have heard of people using porcelain door knobs too.

I don't know what you nesting boxes look like but, it also might help if the nesting boxes have side and a top to them, chickens seem to like privacy while taking care of business!

 

[Ste]

The boxes have sides and a top and are painted black inside. I'll have to find some golf balls to put in there to see if that works

 

[wynedot55]

you can also try those ceramic eggs in their nest.if the golf balls dont work.

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

I used the kind of plastic easter eggs that you fill with treats and use for the kids easter egg hunts. It worked for my girls!

Good luck!

 

[sundance]

I tried the plastic Easter eggs you find every year, I filled them up with oatmeal the first time and glued them together, the hens took the plastic apart, eat the oats, and threw the plastic eggs on the ground. Second time. I fill with dirt super glue them together and put in their nest. Second time, they took them apart,dumped them on the ground, and laid their eggs on the ground, I give up, they can lay anywhere they want to as long as they lay.

 

[bills]

Frustrating isn't it?

I have had three birds that always lay in the same nest box, one that lays in the run, just any old place, and one that lays on the coop floor in the litter. I have tried leaving them in the coop longer in the mornings, to see if the two errant ones will get the idea. I have placed golf balls in the other nest box, to see if that helps. I have even left the other hens eggs in the nest box to see if that would help. So far nothing seems to work. The one bird that lays in the run, won't even use a nest box placed in the run...

I'm getting used to one dirty egg a day. At least they haven't started to eat that egg, but it worrys me that it might get accidently broken, and then the real problem may begin...

 

[Ste]

well I went and bought a bale of straw and put in there instead of the pine shavings so we'll see if that helps any. Crazy ladies lay all over the place. I've started waiting until afternoon to let them out and today only found one outside the coop. Now if can get them to lay in the boxes instead of on the floor of the coop, we'll be good

 

[championny]

Mine simply refuse to use the nest box. i tried using a hard boiled egg, I tried using a store bought one (I changed out every other day) and to no avail they still put them on the floor. They have no problem sleeping in the boxes at night, usually 3 of them squeeze into one, but I just pick them up off the floor and carry on.

I think sometimes they are just stubborn. After all, I can't complain now that they are unemployed and enjoying retirement from the spotlight.

 

[TheChicInnKeeper]

My little banty hen never laid in the nest boxes until my husband moved the fake eggs (2) into one nest box. Now she lays there all the time.

We have another adult banty that hasn't started laying yet. I keep watching her comb for growth.

We also have 4 two month old full sized hens that aren't old enough to lay yet.

Some day we'll have lots of eggs (Hopefully)!

Good luck - try 2 eggs in one box!

Cyndi