Hen won't use the nesting boxes

[Chicken Egg 17]

Hello I have two hens that won't use the nesting boxes they are the only two that does it. They lay there egg right inside the door in the sand and some times they won't even use the house they just can be walking through the woods or there run and they just flop the egg were ever they go. So sometimes they will even try to lay in the compost box in the scraps and stuff there nesting boxes material is cleaned once a week. And there is golf balls in the nest all the time because I have one hen if u take the golf balls out she will just walk back and forth in and out of there house sqawking until I put the golf balls back so she can lay her egg so my question is how can I get them two to lay there egg in the nesting box so they can be out to free range without having to worry about walking through the woods following them all over the yard waiting to collect the eggs.

O and I have another question about another hen she keeps laying her egg off the roost at night and the other chickens keep pecking it open and eating it they don't know how to break a hard shelled egg open but I have tryed to see if they could because I didn't know if maybe her eggs are soft shelled eggs so this morning I find a peice of green soft egg shell. And I know it is her because she is the only one who lays green eggs she gets lots of calcium in there layer crumbles plus they get corn and a few table scraps I don't give them a lot of scraps though but they get to free range she is perfectly healthy she was just laying hard shelled eggs there about two days ago. So what could be wrong with her any help will be greatly appreciated thanks.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

With the hen that has been laying her egg off the roost I am going to see if I can get her to stay off the roost for the night end see what the problem is

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Are they new layers, they can be goofy about laying for the first few months. I have a few older hens that just don't want to use the nestboxes and lay in different spots too, I just have to make the rounds and find them all, you can't force a hen to lay anywhere, only make recommendations.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Yes I know u can't force them to but I really would like to let them free range again without having to follow them all over the place they have been laying for about 6 months or more

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The best you can do is make your nestboxes as appealing as possible, they should be somewhat darkened, most birds like them enclosed on top, the right size can help, the right heights off the ground, between 2-3 feet high, roosts in front to get in and out, people sometimes use curtains, and the fake eggs to draw them in, you can also try adding a ground level nest for those who want to use them.

 

[Snownow]

I had the same problem.... I put some golf balls in the boxes. They immediately started laying in the boxes after that.

Golf balls, wooden eggs, really anything that looks somewhat like an egg should work

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I have some golf balls in there nesting boxes but those two just won't use them