Scary huh? Well it's true. When I was installing the nesting boxes in my coop, I said to myself. If I were a chicken, I'd bag these stupid nesting boxes, and lay in that cosy corner under the nesting boxes. Well, guess what! One of my EEer's has made and nice little nest down there and lays a long green egg everyday for me. I can't blame her, I'd do it too. So I keep it clean like I would a nesting box, and just let her lay there.
I've actually put wood shavings in their nesting boxes. I have it around, it's easy. They all seem to like it. Silly girls.
If you take the eggs on the floor and leave a dummy egg in egg box, bet they will switch....unless they r real stubborn, they are females........ (ducks for cover)
I built a new pen for our 4 JG's and 2 Red Stars. I built a coop with 2 cozy nest boxes, but the red stars would lay in the opposite corner of the coop. So I would take the 2 eggs and put them in the boxes and do this for 2 or 3 days before finally gathering them up. When the first giant started laying, it was in the nest box. After a while I stopped leaving eggs in the nest box and figured I'd settle with just the Giant laying in the right place. After a few days, the Giant started laying in the corner with the red stars. I put a golf ball in each nest box and the Giant lays in there again, and now the other Giant is laying too, and in the nest box. But those darn red stars refuse to lay anywhere except that one corner.
Meh. I have one that lays in the front garden, one lays in the pots on the porch, one lays in the window box... Not one egg in a nesting box. I suppose I need to hang some photos or something. The nesting boxes aren't too fun to look at if you're in there a while. Can't blame them for laying where they want.
Well, I can't complain. I only have one that lays somewhere other than the nesting box, and it's easy to find. I think the EEers are low in the pecking order, and the other girls take their own sweet time in the boxes. So she lays where she can.