Help! first eggs not in nest box

It's you and that beautiful coop again! Hello! Try putting some ceramic eggs, or golf balls in the nesting boxes. That sometimes helps them get the idea.

 

I used golf balls - worked pretty well - they got the hint! I get some in the coop here and there - seems like they wait til the last minute and just can't make it to the nesting box!

 

I use golfballs. I've heard folks use glass or hardboiled eggs before, but I wouldn't want to try hardboiled. Out of 4 nest boxes mine only use one. Go figure. They sometimes kick the golfball out, so I just put it back in. They're pretty consistant now, but I still have a few that haven't started laying yet. So, I plan to keep using the golfball until all are laying in the appropriate location.

 

I use - nothing. I find the little darlings are sometimes taken unawares for the first week or two. I find eggs everywhere! They soon get the idea and will lay in the boxes. Really. In 25 years I've never had anyone not go in the boxes after a week or two.

 

The same thing happened to me a few months ago. I was wondering why there was nothing in the their usual spot and was shocked to venture out into the woods and find a nest where there were probably 16 eggs. What I did was I got one of the eggs from where they were laying in the woods, marked it with a marker so I knew that one was the "dummy" and put it in their nesting area in the coop. Sure enough, they started laying again in the nesting boxes. Good luck to you.

 

Mine are about 12 weeks old. I just wish they would stop roosting and pooping in the nest boxes. I have 25 and about 1/2 to 2/3 of them roost in the boxes. I have plenty of roost boards about 2 to 3 feet higher than the perch boards infront of the next boxes; but no... they want to roost/poop in the nest boxes. Any ideas? Will they grow out of this as they get older???

 

We put plastic Easter eggs in the nest boxes. You should have seen them looking at them! So funny! They got the idea, though. I only have one that likes to lay hers on top of the pen. I don't know why. She is set in her ways now, though.