How can I convince my ladies to use their nesting box?

[123RedBeard]

Sorry it took me so long to reply ... I was off reading in another area ... I hope you got the egg out ... was it in a hard shell? But stuck in some kind of lining?

Has t his hen been laying regular?

Glad you got most of them laying where they are supposed too!

 

[earlybird10842]

I wrote an article on this a while back
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-get-a-chicken-to-lay-in-the-nestbox

 

[TexasChicken12]

How did that hen turn out?

 

[richardsangelad]

I am by no means an expert, but when my chickens started laying, they were only laying in random spots in my barn. For three days straight, I only gave them access to their run until 2pm and then would let them out. (They're pasture raised and usually have free reign of our land.) On the fourth day I let them out at usual time, 7am, and they came in to lay. Since then, they all lay in boxes. I have 10 boxes for 14 hens and they usually only use 4 of them.

 

[dmbnj]

I had one stubborn Lavender Orp that would lay anywhere except the nest box. Her preferred site was under the poop board in a corner. One day one of the hens pulled out the nest box bucket and dumped the straw on the floor. I had no clean straw, so I purchased some timothy hay from a local pet shop and filled that box with it. The stubborn layer started to use that box for laying and no more eggs on the coop floor. Maybe change up the bedding in the box? I have three nests for 8 hens, and she was the only one not using them.

 

[peep peep peep]

Put eggs in the nesting boxes. It should encourage them . Good luck!

 

[Woolsey]

When my chickens first started laying around June/July of 2014, I used cheap, fake golf balls ($.99 for 10 ct. at Walmart) and put 1-2 in each nest box. Never had an egg laid anywhere other than the best boxes. In less than a year, I've raised 40+ chicks from hatching and they all lay flawlessly.

 

[Manningjw]

Fake eggs are your friend. Chickens tend to want to lay eggs next to other chicken eggs. Placing fake eggs will use that to your advantage. Making the nest nice and secluded helps, I added a little drape for one of my nests and now I only get eggs in that nest. Having the poop board in a well lit area and having it less comfortable can aid in them not laying on it.

 

[Manningjw]

When my chickens first started laying around June/July of 2014, I used cheap, fake golf balls ($.99 for 10 ct. at Walmart) and put 1-2 in each nest box. Never had an egg laid anywhere other than the best boxes. In less than a year, I've raised 40+ chicks from hatching and they all lay flawlessly.

Yep, golf balls often work just fine! I do the same usually as I think my neighbor was stealing the fake eggs thinking they were real ones. Or a predator was getting them? Not sure by my bet was on the human predators next door.

 

[Kluk-Kluk]

Sounds like everyone has their nesting box stories... I've had 6 to 12 chickens (currently have 10) about three years. They are constantly changing favorite nest boxes. I have no idea why. And, as mentioned, usually they all like to lay in the same nest box. Last summer, I put up a new nest box in a new place. Well, that is hands-down the favorite nest box now. Perhaps because it was new, they all switched over (instead of some laying her, some there). Several times I've seen two hens calmly squished together sitting in the same nest box. I wonder what would happen if you added a new nest box in a new location...?

By the way, how is the chicken that was having trouble laying her egg?