Hens go broody when you don’t want them to… and won’t go broody when you do. 
I finally have all 9 of my hens laying now. I have (3) nest boxes built in to the side wall of my coop.
I have read, and still believe, that most hens want to lay in the same nest box, although all 3 of my nest boxes are getting used daily. As 3 of the hens are sitting, the others are either down on the floor pitching a fit, or bird-dogging the 3 laying from the step bar in front of the boxes.
I have a golf ball in each box, and every day, all 3 boxes have eggs in them.
Last Saturday, a plastic golf ball I was using in one of the boxes was easily kicked out early on, before any of them had laid yet. I saw a hen in there, but she got up. (no egg) When I went back out to collect around noon, I had 7 total eggs in the 2 nest boxes that still had the golf balls in them and the box where the plastic golf ball was supposed to be had nothing, nada, zip.
Golf balls DO work.
I have read, and still believe, that most hens want to lay in the same nest box, although all 3 of my nest boxes are getting used daily. As 3 of the hens are sitting, the others are either down on the floor pitching a fit, or bird-dogging the 3 laying from the step bar in front of the boxes.
I have a golf ball in each box, and every day, all 3 boxes have eggs in them.
Last Saturday, a plastic golf ball I was using in one of the boxes was easily kicked out early on, before any of them had laid yet. I saw a hen in there, but she got up. (no egg) When I went back out to collect around noon, I had 7 total eggs in the 2 nest boxes that still had the golf balls in them and the box where the plastic golf ball was supposed to be had nothing, nada, zip.
Golf balls DO work.
