HELP! Nesting Box Problem

[Ramblin Rooster]

I have been trying to find out why my hens will not lay in their nesting boxes and after many methods have found that the nesting boxes are too small! I bought them from meyer hatchery and don't want to buy new ones and don't want them going to waste. I have 5 Isa Browns, 1 Australorp, 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte, 4 Welsummers, and 1 buff orpington. How can I make it so they can fit? They have been laying in the corner of their stall in the barn and it doesn't seem to be private and something keeps eating their eggs through the little crack. Help!

 

[Kernel Cluck]

Can you build new, larger nesting boxes in the corner that they are laying? This might be the easy way to solve the problem...

 

[Jenny28]

Our chickens will never lay in the nesting boxes provided for them lol. I think it's an act of defiance. They will lay in the hay bin, or under the barn, or in a corner in the coop. So, we just dug up some old milk crates and put hay in them instead of shavings and put them in the corner where they usually lay. Those, they WILL use. I suggest selling the ones you bought on craigslist, and just providing them with something like milk crates to use in the spot they usually lay in. Good luck!

 

[Ramblin Rooster]

Yes they are clean and all I even have the box I should most definitely try to sell them. Thank you both for the advice

 

[Kernel Cluck]

Good luck to you. I am in the process of hunting down a hidden egg stash because my girls are too lazy to go ALL THE WAY back to the coop. (about 300 feet). So I understand what you are going through.

 

[Jayers]

How small is too small? My nesting box is TINY and they manage to get in there every time. My chicken neighbor had this problem, then she added small plastic shoeboxes (you know, the little rubbermaid or sterilite ones) and put some shavings in them. She also added wood eggs. She no longer has a problem.
Best of luck!

 

[RaisedWithReiki]

I just came across a website by a woman who has been raising chickens for years and what she wrote about teaching her layers to lay eggs in the correct place was to: keep the layers inside the coop until noon for a few days. They apparently did their laying in the morning and this trained/taught them to lay in the coop instead of all over creation. Good luck.

 

[focusonfarming]

I also experienced a similar problem with my hens laying the eggs around the property when I let them free range. I as others have mentioned kept them "cooped up" until noon for a week or so and I also bought some fake brown eggs from the feed store. By placing the eggs in the nesting boxes, my hens learned fairly quickly that they have to lay them in there and then they can come out. They now free range and come back to their nesting boxes to lay. I would try getting the fake eggs. They are cheap and I think that was the trick that worked for me. The chickens needed to know that it was a safe place to nest and having other eggs there made them feel comfortable. Just my opinion though. Good luck. Oh and straw in the nesting areas is necessary over any other bedding.

 

[JanetS]

Golf balls work good too.

 

[RaisedWithReiki]

That's a really good idea. My pullets aren't laying yet but when they get close to that age, I'm gonna get those fake eggs and/or golf balls right off the bat. Thanks!