How to make nest box more appealing

[MountainMomma359]

So I only have 4 girls, 3 not laying yet but soon and one I didn't expect to get as a layer. So we had made our coop and were planning on adding the nest box before they laid but new girl like I said was unexpected so no nest box when she got here. We've added a nest now but since she laid a few eggs in the coop floor earlier ( I had a tote out with golf balls but she wouldn't use it) she keeps laying there. How can I make the nest box more appealing?

 

[Kiki]

Can you take a picture of the tote that you were trying to use?

 

[Ridgerunner]

In addition to a photo of that tote it could be helpful to have photos of the coop itself. How it is laid out and size. Is it a walk-in or one of those little elevated coops? Basically, what are you working with?

If she is consistently laying in that one spot she has decided that is where her nest needs to be. I don't know why she chose that spot. I've seen hens choose a dark secluded spot to lay, while others lay out in the open. For whatever reason, she likes that spot.

Is that a bad spot? Could you be happy if that remained her nest? That would be a simple solution.

Could you make a nest in that spot so she's not laying on the floor? Maybe move that tote to that spot to see if she will lay in it. Or build a nest suitable to that spot. Would that be acceptable to you?

Maybe put that tote in that spot to try to get her to lay in it. Once she accepts it as her nest (after she has laid in it for several days) gradually move it toward where you want her to lay. Move it 6" to a foot every three days or so to see if she will follow along. When you get it to an acceptable place to you then you are done if you can accept that tote as your nest. If you really want her to lay in another nest, after she has accepted that general area, remove the tote and see where she lays. It might be your nest. Might not.

I built some of my nests so I can lock a hen in there. That has come in handy for several different reasons, including this. I'm retired so I can be around a lot. When I have a hen laying where I don't want her to, I catch her on that bad nest when she is laying an egg and lock her into a nest I want her to lay in until that egg is laid. That usually takes a half hour but I had one that took three hours. Usually I only have to do this once and she accepts that as her nest. Moving her from her nest to my nest usually involves locking the coop door and using a fishing net. I often can't just pick her up and lock her in the nest. I don't want her to think that her nest is a safe place to lay. I'm trying to change her mind, not coddle her.

 

[MountainMomma359]

I'll get some pics this afternoon of the area. The coop is small since I know I can't have more than the 4 in my yard, the spot she picked is right under the roost. I took the tote out since she never used it anyways. I thought she would like the new nest box since it is more closed. Our coop is a converted playhouse so we took off the covering we had over the back window and added on a nest box that hangs off the back.

 

[MountainMomma359]

Here the inside, you can see the new box area behind the roost. She has just been laying in a corner under the roost. Would curtains help in front of the nest? Maybe it still feels too open?

 

[aart]

Would curtains help in front of the nest? Maybe it still feels too open?

Too open maybe...but I'd put a fake egg in there first, and maybe add a lip to the front.

 

[MountainMomma359]

Too open maybe...but I'd put a fake egg in there first, and maybe add a lip to the front.

I have golf balls in there.

 

[aart]

I have golf balls in there.

Block the corner she's been laying in.

Where's this tote we heard about?

 

[Mrs. K]

The nest you want is behind the roost, right?

Yes, I would put a 2x4 or something in front of the nest, then hang a curtain, down from the top, making it darker in there. Doesn't have to be material, could be a piece of cardboard. I would leave a gap of 8-12 inches depending on the size of the chicken.

Then I would push the bedding that you have under the roost to out from where she is laying and add a milk jug with water in it, so she can't lay there. That will make her look around for another place to lay.

 

[MountainMomma359]

Block the corner she's been laying in.

Where's this tote we heard about?

I took it out because she never used it and it just kept getting kicked around.