I need help getting my chickens to find their nesting boxes!

I've read that herbs are a natural fly repellent, cuts down on pests. I haven't used any as of yet, but was considering hanging a few sprigs of Rosemary in the coop. The chicken chick has a recipe for making your own herb mixture.
 
Thank you
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My hens are laying right next to the nesting boxes I built for them, on the floor of their coop. They've carved out a next in the pine shavings in the corner and all are using that for a nest. We're getting an egg from each of our six birds nearly every day now for about a week. I put straw in the boxes and they kicked it out and the dominant hen squaked about the straw for a couple of hours. I removed the straw and she got quiet. I put a previously laid egg in the boxes, and she again objected loudly. I sure would like them to use the boxes I made for them!

The floor is 4"+ inches of pine shavings which I have been adding DE while periodically taking out 50 % of the old shavings every couple of weeks, then replacing with fresh. At least they haven't chosen a spot right under their nightime roost....
 
Don't feel bad. I have lovely nest boxes for my hens too and they refuse to use them. They also lay on the coop floor. Tonight I replaced the pine shavings and shredded paper with hay to see if they like that better. I just wonder if it's too small a space for them. Our boxes are 12x12, but that is supposed to be adequate. Who knows! I too have fake eggs in one of the boxes. They just kick them out into the coop. My birds are australorps. I just want them to lay in the boxes and set a good example for my 4 other little ones (2 orps, one barred rock and one wyandotte) who will be laying next! ha. Maybe it's the breed? From all I've researched it seems we are doing all we can. Not sure how to get them to like the nest boxes :-/. I feel your pain! Good luck!
 
I had one that was laying on the floor of the hen house so I put a laying box on the floor. She has just adjusted to the laying box so when I get about a doz eggs or so, I intend to raise the box a little to see if she adapts to that. One step at a time. Took her about 2 wks to adjust to the box on the floor. The first one I made did not have enough privacy, I guess. She never used it. The one I made after is very private so I hope she keeps using it. I guess they just have minds of their own.
 
I would suggest to stop the deep litter method until they learn to use the nest boxes. Just each time you take out 1/2 of the shavings, don't add more until you are down to about 1/2 ". Then there is no piling of the shavings into a bowl or nest. Then if the boxes are very high up, build a little chicken ladder that they can hop up the rungs. It should not be a steeply placed ladder but a very gradual slope.

I put shavings in the bottom of my girls boxes then I add grass hay on top of that since they like to practice nest building while waiting for the egg to drop.

The last 'tip' you can give them is to remove all the eggs they lay as soon as you find them on the floor and add a golf ball or two to the nest box that you want them to start to use.

If they still don't get the hint you could try placing real eggs (no more than 2) from the store, maybe a different color than what your girls are laying in the boxes you want them to use.

Whenever I have discovered "floor nests" in my barn, I immediately place something very large in that area, its usually in a corner and I usually put an aluminum garbage can in the space so they can't get to that corner at all any more.

Eventually you can get back to the deep litter method, you just need to get a couple of weeks worth of eggs in your nest boxes first so that you know you have re-trained their laying area instincts.
 
"Whenever I have discovered "floor nests" in my barn, I immediately place something very large in that area, its usually in a corner and I usually put an aluminum garbage can in the space so they can't get to that corner at all any more."
That's great advice. I'll try doing that. Can't do anything about the one laying occasionally in the run, but she's still learning. Hopefully she'll learn from her "sister" to at least lay in the coop. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I really appreciate all advice!!! Thank you!
 

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