Hens not laying in nest boxes.

[FarmerJonny]

Thank you, I will try that. I keep pine shavings on the floor of the house anyway....I caught one egg with a crack in it the other day, I can only assume from a not so easy landing on that bare wood.

 

[MamaGallina3]

I have a 3 chicken flock. We "rescued" them from someone who was given an Easter Present of baby chicks. We think we now know the breeds: One Silkie, One Easter Egger, and One New Hampshire Red. Today as I was in the coop I found one egg in the run area (the coop & nesting boxes are above the run). I assume its the Red, b/c of the egg color. Also I'm about 99.9% the Easter Egger is a Roo! Plus she has been squatting when I try to pet her, which I just read is a sign of egg laying. So I started snooping around more and found another egg in the coop area, which is adjacent to the nesting boxes. (the Roosting bar is in the coop area). We had previously taken out the nesting material in the nesting boxes and added a divider b'w the coop area and the nesting box (recommended to not let the girls go in there to sleep). Now that I found the eggs, I added the pine back to the boxes. I wonder if I should remove the divider too? Or allow it to be a separate area? Also, should I give her some time to find the right spot to lay her eggs? Or should I put an egg in there for her to see? I am just afraid the Silkie might try to sit on it, since I hear they are so broody!

Here is the coop from the outside. The Nesting Box is sticking out the side.



This is the inside, before the dividers were added and before the roosting bar was added. I can't find the pics with those additions So basically if I took out the dividers it would look this open in the coop. The roosting bar is closer to the exit to the run area and there is now a poop tray under the roosting bar.

 

[MamaGallina3]

Success! My little lady is trained and laying in the nesting box!

 

[aart]

Success! My little lady is trained and laying in the nesting box!

Cool Beans!!

 

[Joshua G]

Success! My little lady is trained and laying in the nesting box!

Awesome!

 

[newbiechick1]

I'd like some help with this as well. We have 4 hens laying at the moment. One usually lays outside, one lays on the floor and two lay in the nest box. Don't know who is doing what. We tried locking everyone in the coop for almost a week but saw no real difference. And it's not everyday. Some days all 4 eggs are in the coops and some days only 2. Also some of the hens are roosting in the other nest boxes and making them filthy. And ideas on how to get them to stop roosting there and how to get the girls to lay in the right place? Ps. The nests they are laying in are different from the ones they are sleeping in.

 

[newbiechick1]

I meant some days all 4 eggs are in the box!

 

[aart]

I'd like some help with this as well. We have 4 hens laying at the moment. One usually lays outside, one lays on the floor and two lay in the nest box. Don't know who is doing what. We tried locking everyone in the coop for almost a week but saw no real difference. And it's not everyday. Some days all 4 eggs are in the coops and some days only 2. Also some of the hens are roosting in the other nest boxes and making them filthy. And ideas on how to get them to stop roosting there and how to get the girls to lay in the right place? Ps. The nests they are laying in are different from the ones they are sleeping in.

I meant some days all 4 eggs are in the box!

Did you read this whole thread yet?......if you do that, I bet you'll find your answer!

 

[newbiechick1]

I did read the thread and feel I have tried the suggestions here. I was looking to see if anyone had other recommendations? Thanks!

 

[aart]

You can get them to stop roosting in the nest boxes by taking them out of the nests after dark and putting them on the roosts.... might take a few days to a week or so of doing this before they get the idea. Make sure you're roosts are at least a foot higher than your nests boxes, they like to roost as high as possible. Make sure you roosts are sturdy, sized properly and easy for them to reach....2x4 wide side up and 1 foot of roost length for each bird are good rules of thumb to follow. If the height of the roost or the size of your coop makes it hard for them to get down, they can get hurt jumping down or flying off the roost if it's too high or your coop is too small to allow flying off the roost, add a ramp for roost access. Keeping the nests clean by not allowing roosting in them, might help them lay in the nests too. HTH.