If/When to remove the decoy eggs?

[SunAndDirt]

I have a few of my girls laying like clockwork, with the others looking like they are very close.
For the sake of humoring my over-planning side, I figured I would ask - do you remove your decoy eggs/golf balls once all the hens are using the nest box well or leave them in indefinitely?
Have you had decoy eggs increase the likelihood of broodiness?

 

[Delight30]

Quote:Originally Posted by SunAndDirt

I have a few of my girls laying like clockwork, with the others looking like they are very close.
For the sake of humoring my over-planning side, I figured I would ask - do you remove your decoy eggs/golf balls once all the hens are using the nest box well or leave them in indefinitely?
Have you had decoy eggs increase the likelihood of broodiness?


Good question, ours are almost ready to start laying and I hadn't thought about that. I was going to remove once they started.

 

[SunAndDirt]

I don't really mind leaving them in, if they won't try to hatch wooden eggs

However, I have one hen who must stomp around in the nest box like an angry bull so I have to go on a fake egg hunt every morning in the coop, so it would be a time saver if they weren't there.

 

[HomesteadDebi]

I plan to leave my fake eggs in. One of the purposes of the fakes is so that if the chickens try to peck at them, they find it's not food. Maybe they aren't pecking at their own eggs now, but if one becomes curious later, you will still have those fakes to turn them off. Just make sure you are gathering the real eggs on a regular basis so that the only thing they really get a chance to peck at is the fakes. Hope this makes sense. lol

 

[SunAndDirt]

It does! That's a great reason, too.

 

[TwoCrows]

My girls are 2 1/2 and I still keep the fake eggs in the boxes. Lets the hens know that it is safe to lay there anytime there is no real eggs in the boxes. I tried removing them not too long ago and they freaked out and didn't know where to lay. LOL So I just leave them in there and all is well.

 

[SunAndDirt]

Thanks!
Maybe I'll leave one, just to reduce the chances it will be knocked out.

 

[Kelsie2290]

I leave mine in the boxes indefinitely, I have them in about 2/3 of the boxes, they definitely favor a nest with a (fake) egg vs one with no eggs. I do have a fairly high bottom edge to the nest boxes (4") so the hens can't really kick them out. I think the fake eggs cut down on the free range hens trying to make hidden nests. Also agree with it being a deterrent to learning egg eating.

 

[Delight30]

I leave mine in the boxes indefinitely, I have them in about 2/3 of the boxes, they definitely favor a nest with a (fake) egg vs one with no eggs. I do have a fairly high bottom edge to the nest boxes (4") so the hens can't really kick them out. I think the fake eggs cut down on the free range hens trying to make hidden nests. Also agree with it being a deterrent to learning egg eating.

 

[K Spot]

I have 2 fake eggs for 9 girls.

I leave mine in there all the time.