Hen not laying eggs in nesting box

[flrn]

I have a new flock of 6 hens, and I just had my first egg however I found it in the coop (not the run) and outside of the nesting boxes. It was sitting directly in front of the door going into the coop. I use sand based litter, so have been expecting the girls to start laying soon and have "fake" eggs in each nesting box with plenty of nesting material in them. This is the second day she's layed an egg, and it was in the same exact spot! How do I get her to lay in the nesting box, and will the other girls follow her lead and start laying on the floor of the coop? Any advice would be so welcomed and appreciated.

 

[cavemanrich]

Is nesting box large enough for your chickens to stand up in?. Also to enter and be able to turn around?. You may also consider placing/hanging a cloth on the entrance half way down from top. This does give hen a sense of privacy, which at least my hens like.
I suggest you physically place your hens into nesting box each morning. (as training) They will of course climb out, but will get the feel of the nest. They may decide to enter when egg calling arrives.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[chickens really]

New layers often get confused about what's happening when they lay the first eggs. I don't use fake eggs in my nest boxes. Just give her time.

 

[noregerts]

Hens will lay any and everywhere. It would be funny if it weren't so aggravating! When the others begin laying in the boxes, she'll figure it out. And then one day you'll come out and they've all moved to the floor in the corner, or under the boxes, or in an open bag of pine flakes.

 

[chickens really]

Hens will lay any and everywhere. It would be funny if it weren't so aggravating! When the others begin laying in the boxes, she'll figure it out. And then one day you'll come out and they've all moved to the floor in the corner, or under the boxes, or in an open bag of pine flakes.

My Cat was laying eggs in open pine shavings bag..
A Chicken would of been welcome...

 

[aart]

I have a new flock of 6 hens, and I just had my first egg however I found it in the coop (not the run) and outside of the nesting boxes. It was sitting directly in front of the door going into the coop. I use sand based litter, so have been expecting the girls to start laying soon and have "fake" eggs in each nesting box with plenty of nesting material in them. This is the second day she's layed an egg, and it was in the same exact spot! How do I get her to lay in the nesting box, and will the other girls follow her lead and start laying on the floor of the coop? Any advice would be so welcomed and appreciated.

Please post a pic of your nests.
Have they been checking out and 'messing up' the nests at all?

 

[flrn]

I had a small piece of wood in the front of the nesting boxes to keep the litter in. This worked well for my first flock and never had any problems. This is my second flock of hens, and I removed the wood, added several more fake eggs, and tried to make them visible to the girls. Fingers crossed. There is plenty of room for them to maneuver around in the box. I did find hen manure in there yesterday, which is new since they haven't been in the nesting boxes at all. Now I did forgot one thing, we found a possum in the nesting box about a week or so ago. It did not harm the hens, but in thinking about it, and reading some more, I wonder if they just don't feel safe in the nesting boxes yet. We of course found the small hole it used to get into the coop in the first place and fixed it and it's not been back since. I think it was eating their feed for about a week or so, my husband said he thought that they were just eating more than usual lol.