Help Please

[fidlstix]

I have six chickens all have been laying about a month now. My concern- only one is using a nesting box.I lays in a corner of the coop- one goes over the door of the coop and lays in the corner of the barn-one lays on a rail near the gate to the coop(we installed a larger platform for her to keep the eggs from rolling off- and two are just driving me crazy- they are laying from the roost- letting the eggs fall to the ground. The other chickens then run to feast on the broken eggs. I've been checking in on them often and get in to clean up as quick as I can. I have two different types of nesting box - a plastic type from the feed store which they show no interest in and a home made wooden one that one is using. I've tried golf balls. Any advice will be appreciated.

 

[Nikki99]

Unfortunately, I have no useful advice for you, the only thing I have is the same stinkin problem!!

I have 5 girls of laying age, I have gotten as many as 3 (I think) eggs in a day. They refuse to use the nesting boxes we have for them, they lay wherever they want so it makes it hard to know if the egg I found that day, is actually from that day. We made wooden ones like they sell at the feed store w/shavings in the bottom and we have also used a plastic, 5 gal bucket layed on it's side with shavings in it. I tried putting the bucket where they lay and they completely boycotted laying all together for the day. 2 days later, I moved the bucket and bam, they laid an egg on the ground as soon as the bucket was out of the way!
I posted about this too in another thread and I did get a lot of good ideas. The bucket thing was one of them but it didn't work for my girls so on to the next one. Some of the things other members asked me to try and help were, are the boxes private enough? I guess some chickens like a lot of privacy. Ours weren't really covered so not to private, I thought the bucket idea would fix that. What kind of nesting material do you have in them? Some like shavings, straw, crunched leaves... What size are the boxes? Ours were 11x12 I think, may have been to small, Idk though.
It's frustrating because I don't even know if all my girls are even laying if I can't find the eggs.

 

[daoustaj]

How high are the boxes? Mine are 2 feet up along the wall with the least light. You should have 1 nesting box per 2 chickens i think. Try putting some eggs or golf balls in the nesting boxes they may understand it. I had a chicken first start laying on the ground but once one layed them in boxes they all do.