I'd post a pic of the 1st egg but......

[klevesque]

My darling hubby STEPPED ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He walked into the coop last night and CRUNCH!

She layed it right in front of the door.

UGH!

My hens are only 18 weeks! I always thought they layed at 24 weeks.

I'll have to keep going in to check for more eggs.

Do they eventually learn to lay on the nesting boxes or is there something I should be doing to help them along?

 

[teach1rusl]

LOL! I thought you were going to say "But....it was too big to fit in the frame of the picture."

I have fake wooden eggs in my nest boxes. I've showed the girls them. And I've watched them get in there and move the bedding around and make over the fake eggs. Some use golf balls. Congrats on your first egg though!! Tell hubby to watch his step..lol.

 

[DragonFeathers]

I used a golf ball in each nest, works great, have also heard of people using wooden eggs. Hope this helps, they will learn.

CONGRATS....on your first egg

almost on the table egg

 

[ChickBond 007]

I use golf balls also. For some reason, my chickens like the idea of laying where someone else thought it was a good idea to lay. Every once in a while, I'll find a broken one below the roost, an oopsie-- we call it.
If you have nice fresh straw/hay and a dark nest box, they'll choose it over the floor.

 

[FortWorthChicks]

I do the golf balls too. 3 nest 2 balls and they ALWAYS lay in one that has a golf ball. ( I move the golf balls for kicks and they switch nests. lol

 

[klevesque]

Thanks for the advice! I'll have to go buy some golf balls.

I wonder how long it'll be until one of them lays another egg? 18 weeks seems kinda early, no?

 

[Zed3]

I used golf balls and fake eggs, still found eggs on the floor. Eventually they all caught on to the nesting boxes.

 

[ChickBond 007]

Quote:
If you visit a golf driving range, they likely have some old, cracked, or otherwise blemished balls that you can have for free.
Depending upon the breed, 18 weeks is right in line. I have some that started at 14 weeks, some that waited until 25 weeks, and it depends upon the breed.

 

[FortWorthChicks]

any kind of egg shaped object will work

Shoot you could use a round rock for free. The reason I chose golf balls is because the old man is a golfer so the balls were here and free.

 

[klevesque]

Get this, I told my hubby I would have to go get some golf balls and he says "I have some in my service truck".

Hubby changes truck/loader tires for a living. So I said, "Why on earth do you have golf balls in your service truck?"

He says that a couple of years ago he did a job that was near a golf range and he saw a bunch of balls near where he was working so he grabbed them and threw them in his cab. He said he has no idea why he did that. We don't golf and have/had no use for them. He said they might come in handy some day.

I guess some day is today! LOL!