How do I get my chickens to lay in their nesting boxes?

[ChickMT]

My hens are just starting to lay eggs and I'm finding them in the run and in the coop, but not the nesting boxes. I've tried to make them cozy but they keep kicking everything out of the boxes. I just put up curtains to hopefully make the boxes feel like a safe place to lay. Also found one of our chickens ate one of the eggs in the coop this afternoon. Put the ceramic eggs back to hopefully discourage egg eating.

Any suggestion on how to encourage them to use the boxes?

 

[ChickenHeartedHen]

Personally, I’d put some fake eggs in there to encourage them. Just don’t use eggs made of styrofoam.

 

[ChickMT]

Personally, I’d put some fake eggs in there to encourage them. Just don’t use eggs made of styrofoam.

I had the fake ceramic eggs in the boxes for months and they keep kicking them out of the boxes. They seem to love to wreck the nesting boxes

 

[ChickenHeartedHen]

What are you putting in the boxes?

 

[ChickMT]

What are you putting in the boxes?

I put hemp bedding and the ceramic eggs. Just switched to nesting pads made of some type of natural fiber and ceramic eggs.

 

[ChickenHeartedHen]

Interesting, maybe give them some time, or whenever you see them trying to lay, move them in the box?

 

[ChickMT]

Interesting, maybe give them some time, or whenever you see them trying to lay, move them in the box?

thanks! I'll try moving the eggs they are laying into the nesting boxes and see if this does the trick

 

[ChickenHeartedHen]

Good luck!

 

[Orit]

I had a newbie secretly laying her eggs in a little corner next to my house. I was so perplexed why she hadn't started laying since her sisters had all started. Then I discovered the stash - probably close to 3 weeks worth! I caught her trotting into that corner and she wasn't coming out so I went to get her and alas! I immediately put her in an egg box where the others had laid their eggs (they were still there) and closed it off so she couldn't get out. She was in there for about 30 minutes before she laid her egg. Then I let her out. The next day I put ceramic eggs in a couple of the egg boxes hoping she'd remember, and she did!!! She never went back to that corner again. I don't know if you have the time to wait around until one is ready to lay and then plop them into an egg box and close it off. And I'd definitely put ceramic or wooden eggs in there to let them know that this is the spot. Good luck!

 

[ChickenHeartedHen]

a few years back, one of our BO chickens went on a brave adventure to the garden. Soon, the rest of the flock followed and began raiding the lettuce and squash. We saw her sitting in this bush by a wall for a while, but didn’t think anything about it. Two weeks later, after she had died, we went to the garden to visit her grave. As we approached, we saw something in the bush. It was an egg, right behind her grave. Of course, she always had layed in the nesting box, but I thought this was the right time to share this story. Hopefully your flock will learn to use the nesting boxes!