Getting ready to lay

[vsprice]

I have 3 hens right at months. I put straw in their nesting boxes twice now and each time they have scrapped all of the straw out of the boxes. I have pine shavings in the house and straw in their nesting. I also placed 2 golf balls in each box. I think they just played soccer with them. Is their anything I should change or try next?

 

[memphis]

First...Welcome to BYC!! So how old are your girls?

 

[Mahlzeit]

Welcome! Do you have anything in the front of the box to keep the straw in?

 

[vsprice]

They are 6 months old. I do not have any type of wooden lip to keep the hay in. Do you think the hens are thinking this is just part of the floor and not a separated area?

 

[vsprice]

No there is nothing. Continuous floor into the nest box.

 

[aart]

They are 6 months old. I do not have any type of wooden lip to keep the hay in. Do you think the hens are thinking this is just part of the floor and not a separated area?

Well, yes.

 

[Mahlzeit]

You have to make it look different from just a continuation of the floor and a lip is always needed on nest boxes. The hens go in the nests and scratch around preparing the nests the way they want them so any nest box without a lip will be empty of straw, hay or shavings in no time.