Hi, I am new to this site. I have had chickens for going on 2 years now. But I am having a problem of getting all my chickens to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes. They are free range chickens. I only have 17 right now, but I just got 13 new baby chicks and I want them to want to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes. I have 12 nesting boxes and I have the Storney's Guide on Raising Poultry and I followed the specifications on building and how many nesting boxes per chicken. I use to have alot more chickens but I had a predator problem. If anyone has had this problem or have any suggestion on what might the problem be and how to fix this I would greatly appreicate it. I am getting tired of going egg hunting on my property, because I have a lot of acres to cover. I have been trying to do alot of information hunting about how to fix this problem but, I just can't seem to find the answer. Please, if anyone can help I would love it.
buff
I would like to thank you for your reply, It was greatly appreciated and I really appreciated the suggestion. I forgot to say a few things that might be helpful for someone else to help me with this problem. This past winter 2009, was pretty bad weather, so I couldn't free range my chickens at all this winter. They where cooped all winter so they laid their eggs all the time in the nesting boxes, and I also put in some white wooded eggs in their boxes and I give them new straw when needed and keep the nesting boxes cleaned off poop. Well, this spring when we were able to start letting our chickens out all day to free range they all still seem to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes for as we got the same amount of eggs or more. Now since they been able to free range on a regular basics I have been finding eggs elsewhere, but probably not all of them. Also, I do notice when I am just sitting and watching my chickens sometimes, I will just hear them making such a fuss so I go see what the problem is and when there is a chicken in a nesting box already and another chicken wants that particular nesting box she just makes a big fuss as if telling me to take that chicken out of there so she can go into that nesting box and lay her egg. Could that be the part of the problem? Or is that just what free ranging chickens will do, lay their eggs anywhere?
For as I don't want to start keeping my chickens penned up for a period of time, they seem so much happier to be able to free range all day. And when I do have to pen them up for a reason, such as a pedator around my chickens just seem to not get along very good when cooped up. If you have or anyone has any other suggestions I would love it. For as I do not seeing me penning up my chickens even for a little time in the day. I love to see my chickens happy.
buff
I would like to thank you for your reply, It was greatly appreciated and I really appreciated the suggestion. I forgot to say a few things that might be helpful for someone else to help me with this problem. This past winter 2009, was pretty bad weather, so I couldn't free range my chickens at all this winter. They where cooped all winter so they laid their eggs all the time in the nesting boxes, and I also put in some white wooded eggs in their boxes and I give them new straw when needed and keep the nesting boxes cleaned off poop. Well, this spring when we were able to start letting our chickens out all day to free range they all still seem to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes for as we got the same amount of eggs or more. Now since they been able to free range on a regular basics I have been finding eggs elsewhere, but probably not all of them. Also, I do notice when I am just sitting and watching my chickens sometimes, I will just hear them making such a fuss so I go see what the problem is and when there is a chicken in a nesting box already and another chicken wants that particular nesting box she just makes a big fuss as if telling me to take that chicken out of there so she can go into that nesting box and lay her egg. Could that be the part of the problem? Or is that just what free ranging chickens will do, lay their eggs anywhere?
For as I don't want to start keeping my chickens penned up for a period of time, they seem so much happier to be able to free range all day. And when I do have to pen them up for a reason, such as a pedator around my chickens just seem to not get along very good when cooped up. If you have or anyone has any other suggestions I would love it. For as I do not seeing me penning up my chickens even for a little time in the day. I love to see my chickens happy.
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