Golf Balls Helping Chickens Lay??

[littlebantam]

I've heard that if you place a golf ball in the nesting boxes for chickens they will sit on the golf ball and it encourages the chicken to lay.


Have have little bantams and i've just started getting really into it chickens so if it sounds silly SORRY because i really dont know

 

[bustermommy]

I put golf balls into the nest boxes to show them where to go. All the chickens lay in the nest boxes with the exception of two 1st eggs that ended up under the roost. Now, though, some of them avoid the nest box where the ball is and go to an empty one. I don't know whether it's because of the ball or just because.

 

[littlebantam]

its my profile pic/ icon/ avatar

 

[corgiscatsandchickens]

Absolutely its a good idea. Some hens seem to have.very strong instincts when it comes to egg laying, some need a little help figuring out where to put those eggs! I.have one girl that still hasn't begun to lay yet, so until she does, the golf balls will stay put. I just got the really lightweight practice balls in Wally world. Doesn't matter much what you use, as long as it resembles eggs. When I was a kid, all of my plastic eggs that went to my play kitchen set were confiscated by my grandpa just as it was about time for his new flock to start to lay. I was thrilled that I was able to "help"lol. You can also get fake eggs from Cracker Barrel that are closer to the right weight, but I don't really think that's necessary.
Enjoy that first egg.when you get it!

 

[2 britts]

It worked for me. Although they insist on trying to use the same box most of the time.

 

[dainerra]

they think that the golf ball is an egg. They see it in the box and that makes them think "this is a safe place to leave my eggs. someone else has already been here" That also explains why they all want to use the same box!

 

[ceeceeholt]

I use golf balls too, but they are laying in the ones with no golf balls

I have 14 hens with 4 of them laying, yet they lay in only 2 of them? I wonder why?

 

[Animalian]

golf balls work, they guide them where to go if theres no older girls to show them.

They're also handy to encourage them to go broody, I gave my six to my hens and was lucky enough that one went broody on them. It gave me time to collect eggs while she sat on the golfballs, then I switched the balls for eggs once I had enough!

 

[Freya]

I have a golf ball in each of my boxes even tho they are too young to lay yet. I heard of doing that too, so I figured it wouldn't hurt.

 

[woodmort]

Hens seem to like something hard and round under them so golf balls, artificial eggs or just round rocks will do. I even had a broody sit on 3 golf balls until she decided they weren't going to hatch, then she quit.