How to encourage chicken to lay in her nest box?

[KristerS]

One of our four girls just started laying again! Yey! But she is laying right in the exit area of their coop, so it gets stomped on as the girls head out to their run. How can I encourage her to use her nest box again? I put a plastic easter egg into the nest box to give her the idea, but no dice so far. Any advice would be welcomed!!
-Kristin

 

[Larry55]

Basically u have the right idea. A ceramic fake egg is better. How big are ur nest boxes? 12x16 for bigger birds and 12x12 for smaller is the norm. And kept kinda dark. They like to feel safe when they are laying their eggs. Do u have have enough nest boxes?.

 

[Olivekat07]

Place fake eggs in the nesting boxes. Or ping pong balls.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

While baiting can help, for your situation it would be more productive to spend a couple of days on stakeout so that once she is settled in her chosen spot and well into the laying trance they fall into you can pick her up and place her in a nest. She may hop out calmly reapeat. .no fast moving, snatching, shoving...calm, quiet and smooth movements. In the box you can gently hold or stroke, if she's one to find this calming, her to encourage her to settle. Generally a couple days of this resets a hen barring other factors....the stakeout also lets you see what influences may be causing her to be avoiding the boxes...bully hens controlling the nests, difficulty getting into the nest that is new to her, etc.

 

[aart]

One of our four girls just started laying again! Yey! But she is laying right in the exit area of their coop, so it gets stomped on as the girls head out to their run. How can I encourage her to use her nest box again? I put a plastic easter egg into the nest box to give her the idea, but no dice so far. Any advice would be welcomed!!
-Kristin

Was she using the nest before?
I assume she is about 2 years and is just getting back to laying after her molt and winter break?
Have the nests or flock members changed since she last laid?

Good tips above from @Ol Grey Mare on observing what's going on.

 

[KristerS]

Yep, exactly right! She is the first of the four to start laying again.

 

[oldhen2345]

One of our four girls just started laying again! Yey! But she is laying right in the exit area of their coop, so it gets stomped on as the girls head out to their run. How can I encourage her to use her nest box again? I put a plastic easter egg into the nest box to give her the idea, but no dice so far. Any advice would be welcomed!!
-Kristin

This is exactly like my hens. I have 7 and all go into the nesting boxes (there are 2) to lay except one silly hen- I am not sure which one- always leaves an egg in the entrance to the run. Today I found a second egg by the ladder going to the coop and one in the coop itself. Seems to be a bad idea spreading through the troops. I do have ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes- have never had this issue in 3 years of chicken keeping ( yes, still a newbie). I know I am at maximum capacity in the nesting boxes- maybe I should add on another one. What do you do if there is a bully hen hogging a box?