Getting Them Into Nesting Boxs?

[StarStruck203]

Tonight is my chickens first night in their coup, and im obviously not expecting for them them to get in their anytime soon since they are only 8 weeks old...

But how can i get them more acclamated to getting in them? So that maybe thats where they will lay their first? any ideas?

Also whats the best stuff to put in the boxs?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I put hay in my nesting boxes & shavings on the floor. When the hens get ready to lay, they'll go searching for a place. Try to make the nest boxes the only place they can go to lay.

 

[StarStruck203]

explain "only place to lay"

sorry, mental block. lol inside the coup is flat, with nesting boxs on the side.

so they can 'lay' anywhere in the coup.. ?

 

[mgw]

I kept the nest boxes blocked off until they were 18 weeks old. If they are let in to early they think it is just a place to sleep or play. When we opened ours up we put plastic Easter eggs in then kept them straitened out until they started to lay.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

The only place to lay means, no buckets to get in, no boxes to hide under, no feed bowls that would make a good nest. When a hen lays, she'd rather have it in a "safe" place, rather than out in the open, on the floor. Thats why I use hay. It makes it more enticing to them, & I only use it in the nest boxes.

 

[StarStruck203]

thank you!

 

[streetglide]

They eventually figure it out! I had a few who didn't quite catch on at first and would just lay them on the ground. This soon stopped though.

 

[grandmaof5]

I've had an 'egg' in the nest for a few weeks in anticipation of the girls starting to lay. I got my first egg Christmas morning and every egg since has been on the floor. I don't even know if they've checked out the nest yet... *sigh

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The nest should be a darker, enclosed area that invites them to lay. Using a smaller opening into the nest aids in this. I use a 10"X10" opening, I've read some that use a 9"x6"? which seems more for banty size only being 6" wide. Regardless what size opening you use the rest of the nest area should be from 12X12 to 15X15. With these dimensions my birds automatically layed in the nests. I had temp nest boxes and then the permenant ones. The only random eggs on coop floor are from when the nests are already full of birds and one can't wait her turn.

Whatever works for you but the standard sizes enclosed on all sides with smaller opening will kick in thier nature to hide eggs there.

 

[MarieNC]

I put some old decorative ceramic eggs in the nest boxes when the girls started laying and this helped. I would also gently place them in the nest boxes when they came in the coop squawking. All but one out of the 6 finally figured it out and lay in the nest boxes. I have one BO that still insists on making a nest on the floor and I've resigned myself to her preference. Funny but I have three nest boxes for 6 chickens and sometimes they fight over the same nest box. Silly girls.