How can I get my hen to lay in the nest box?

[9reasons]

For six weeks, my laying Orpington has been using a cat carrier to sleep in and lay her eggs. I have two other 15 week old pullets. I have now successfully integrated them and for a few nights now, she has been going into the roost with the pullets and they all sleep together which is great! I did leave the cat carrier in the run in the corner though so she wasn’t having to deal with too much change at once however she is still laying in the cat carrier. I want to take it out, so there is more room in the run, but can anybody give me some advice as to how I can encourage her to use the nest box in the roost to lay? Thank you.

 

[Callender Girl]

Hens tend to lay eggs where they feel safe, and for your Orp, it's the cat carrier.

Putting fake eggs where you want her to encourage her to lay could help, as could lining the nest box with the same material as you had in the cat carrier so it seems similar.

The lone Bantam Cochin hen in one of my coops really seems to like her "nest box," which is the largest-sized plastic cat litter container, laid on it side. It surrounds her on all sides, top and bottom, and she cozies right in to lay her eggs.

Having said all that, if you remove the cat carrier, she will find another place to lay. And, chickens, especially mine, don't always make what I would consider logical choices for egg laying. Some of my girls will face a bank of nest boxes and lay their eggs on the floor, right in front of "my" targeted place.

Good luck with your girl!

 

[9reasons]

She went right on up in the roost on the first night I allowed them to be together to sleep with the other two, which I was thrilled about! I’m just wondering if I removed the cat carrier whether she would again go up in the roost to lay her eggs because it’s enclosed? I feel a bit mean removing the cat carrier if she feels safe though

 

[Callender Girl]

Congrats on the roosting!

Once in a while, the girls in my red avatar coop appear to lay from the roost. Unfortunately, few eggs survive the drop. Last year, I added a "poop hammock," a tarp under the roost, which catches the eggs, but they tend to be dirty, of course.

Hens can be adaptable. She may well learn to feel safe in a new nest box. Chickens, however, are often unpredictable.

 

[3KillerBs]

If she's integrating into the flock she's likely to quickly catch on to the nests as the cool place to lay eggs. Flocks like to do things together and hens like to lay eggs where eggs (or egg-like objects), already are.

 

[9reasons]

So I put two wooden eggs in one of the nest boxes up in the roost and tonight the big girl went in and you could hear her making quite a bit of noise and then she came out and had a look around and then went back in again! She’s probably thinking who the heck laid those eggs??

 

[Mrs. K]

Remove the cat carrier, she will 'find' the proper nests, I swear mine occasionally like a new place to lay!

 

[9reasons]

The wooden eggs worked! So happy! I thought she was going broody to start with though so once she figured out where to go and was sitting there, I took the wooden eggs out again. The cat carrier is now out of the run too…happy days!!

 

[Mrs. K]

Oh no, leave the wooden eggs in there all the time. It really encourages them to keep laying there instead of finding a different place. They won't make her broody. Nothing but the Gods, the light and a small miracle will make them broody.

 

[9reasons]

Oh no, leave the wooden eggs in there all the time. It really encourages them to keep laying there instead of finding a different place. They won't make her broody. Nothing but the Gods, the light and a small miracle will make them broody.

My daughter left some ceramic eggs in her nest box and half her flock are broody now!