Golf Balls

[Backyard Bantam]

So do golf balls encourage the hen to go broody? or make them want to lay? I don't know what the story is behind that.

 

[SueBaby]

It just gives the hen the idea "hey, there are already some eggs here, this must be a good, safe place to lay"

 

[Backyard Bantam]

Ok thank you!

 

[mdbokc]

I am using golf balls now that the ceramic eggs I used for years disappeared last week. Now I am on the watch for a snake carcass that has three inedible eggs in it. I want those eggs back.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Quote:
OMG, you must promise to post photos if/when you find the snake. I've got to see that.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Oh, I should mention, I have plastic Easter Eggs in mine and they work great. I leave one in each box all the time.

Every once in a while when I catch them fighting over one nest box, I'll take the egg out of that one and put it in one of the less desirable boxes. Then when that one has two plastic eggs in it, it suddenly becomes the nest box of choice. It's funny to mess w/ them that way.

 

[motherhenmindy]

I used ping pong balls, they were cheaper than the golf balls. I put 2 in, and 1 was immediately kicked out. The 2nd one lasted a couple weeks of laying and then it got the boot.

 

[MontanaChickenLady]

I purchased wooden eggs at a craft store and have two eggs in the two nesting boxes that the girls use. When they first started laying I thought....OK, they have the idea and then I removed the wooden eggs. Well then, two of the girls started laying their eggs in the compound. Sooooo, the wooden eggs are back in both nesting boxes and the girls have been laying their eggs in the nesting boxes again. Nice!!!

 

[SueBaby]

I use plastic easter eggs too- the most natural shade of yellow and green I could find!

 

[hitgsd]

I used golf balls at first. But the day after I put them in it looked loke the hens had played a round of golf with them they where scattered all over the coop. I got the hint. Went to Hobby Lobby and bought ceramic eggs there . The store had white or brown, I got Brown, and cost about 1.45 each. The fake eggs are on the same aisle as the fake fruit.They look so real my husband was fooled. I did have a woman with many years of experience with chickens tell me not to leve the fakes in once the hens got the idea where to lay, she said it encouraged broodiness. I did have one broody, and she was sitting on fakes, so I took them all away. Now everybody is laying where they are supposed to and no more broodies, knock on wood.