How do you get new laying hen to lay in the coop????

[Happy Chicken Mama]

HELP!

The first of my sweet chickens has just started laying this week. YEAH!!! However, she is not laying in the in the coop. The first five were in the coop but now she has gone off in search of greener pastures. My DH has built the best most perfect boxes and with six others soon to follow in her laying footsteps I would like to nip this in the bud.

We did try to keep her in the coop for a day with another chicken for company but apparently she is a shy layer and wouldn’t lay all day until I took the other chicken out. Then after that she stopped laying in the coop. They love to be in the yard and go positivly nuts if we try to keep them in their coop... spoiled I guess.

I also replaced her eggs with 'fakes' (good fakes though...). Was this the wrong thing to do? I also put some in the nesting boxes to encourage laying in the boxes. She is not laying in the boxes but on the ground (first in the coop abut now elsewhere).

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get them to lay in the coop?? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Only thing I know that works is to pen her and the others in the coop for a few days...just one day will not do it.....my opinion....keep the good fake eggs in the nest boxes ...she should catch on....you can always turn them out in the evenings after laying time should be over....

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

I had this problem also. But with several of my girls. Anyways, locking them in does help. Can you keep all of them in for a few hours extra each day? I started out by keeping mine in until around 4 in the after noon and then let them out for a couple of hours before roost. Now I am at the point of letting them out between 12 and 1 in the afternoon. This whole process does take a couple of weeks to train them. However I still have a couple of stubborn ones that still like to lay in my sons bed LOL... I have to keep his window closed now LOL. You can also use the fake eggs... but I have noticed with a few of my girls that those didnt even work... they would toss them out of the nest and not lay in the nest. It drove me crazy! But for alot of my girls the fake eggs did work for the most part.

Good Luck
Tes

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Kept mine locked up for a week. They can't hold it that long, lol.

I'm getting between 6& 8 eggs a day from 8 hens. They lay in a 5 gallon bucket, a milk crate and a spot they have made in an out of the way spot on the floor. No looking in the flowerbeds anymore.

 

[HobbyChickener]

It took 2 things to get mine lay in the right place when they started. I used the fake eggs (golf balls) and I also sacfriced a couple of the first eggs that they laided. I marked them so I knew which ones they were and then put them where I wanted them to be instead of where they wanted to lay them. It didn't take any time at all for them to do as I wished.

 

[Happy Chicken Mama]

Golf Balls! Thats Great!

I guess I waisted a lot of time (& $$$$$$) looking for the most realistic eggs ever!

I guess it sounds like my ladies are going to have to stay at 'camp coop' for a while. Hopefully they will forgive me sooner of later. Our ladies are spoiled... they have been known to weisel their way into our guest bedroom for the night. They think our house is their house!

Thanks for the ideas so far... any more????

 

[Happy Chicken Mama]

Another Question???

Do I need to leave all of them in the coop or just the ones that are laying... I can see how it could get a little complicated.

Thanks!

Our first eggs!

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

I personally locked ALL of mine in!!! LOL it teaches the non layers too that you want them to lay in there.

Love the picture and the orange eggs!!!!!!!!! Very festive looking.