Hens hate golf balls?

[becstalls]

Hi all, still new to all of this and I think at least 6 of my 9 hens are laying now!

It's great, but many of them are not laying in the nest boxes. They seem to like the floor of the coop better....

I have six nest boxes, and have a single golf ball in three of them. Will more golf balls help to give them the idea? Right now they actually seem to avoid the nest boxes that have golf balls.... I'd really like to have all my eggies in the boxes where I can get to them easily instead of having to crawl into the coop. Any suggestions?

 

[hchorselover]

How long have they been laying? When my chickens first started laying they layed UNDER the coop

but eventually they got the hang of it and started laying in the nests.

 

[Oscgrr]

I put one golf ball in each of my four nest boxes to train them where to lay and it seemed to work, they put their eggs right next to the ball but occasionally the eggs have Titelist 4 printed on them.

 

[pontoosuc]

Quote:

 

[dirtsaver]

I tried the golf ball in the nest box thing and the girls refused to lay in them. Then Eva poked a hole in the end of a couple of eggs and blew the insides out. We used the hollow eggs in the nest boxes and all the girls lay in the boxes now. But they HATED the golf balls......go figure!

Larry

 

[Mak]

Mine didn't seem to like the golf balls, either, so I put some plastic Easter eggs in the boxes. They started a laying in the boxes after that.

 

[crawfordmama]

I have one girl who refuses to lay in a nest box, despite the golf balls. She made her own nest right next to them on the coop floor. I have another girl who isn't laying yet, who rolls each of the golf balls out of the boxes. Silly chickens.

 

[catdaddy66]

I also have six boxes and have a golf ball in each box. The hens like to lay in all the boxes but the lower ones are more popular. The eggs always manage to be next to the balls! I think they are working well, but I do wonder when should I remove them, or even if I should. At some point they will know that the box is to lay in, but they are not the smartest creatures on the planet, right?

 

[caspernc]

The golf balls are also for the snakes. Yes a snake can throw up the golf ball if stressed, BUT if it goes far enough down it is the end of the snake. A plastic easter egg could do the same thing maybe. Golf balls have weight to them. Stop the snakes. You can also buy clay eggs. They are more life like but dang I would hate to loose one to a snake!!!

.

 

[AllAlaskan]

I have 5 nest boxes with 2 having eggs. My wyndotte ALWAYS lays in the box with the pink Golf ball, where my new mystery layer (think it may be one of my RIR) has layed 1 in with the yellow golf bal then 1 with the pink. SO far I have found no eggs any where else in the camper/coop or outside. So far the Golf balls are working as planned for me.