laying

[kbeagle]

How do i get my female hens to go to the nest to lay eggs, Do i have to put her there or would she go in by herself? A lot of people told me that i should go get golf ball and put it in the nest boxes and what does that do for her. And also my chickens are free range, so how would i know that she is getting ready to lay eggs?

 

[tplummer]

We cannot seem to get ours to lay but where they want to lay. I hope you get some good answers. We could use them too.

 

[gritsar]

You can basically put anything that remotely resembles an egg in the nest box, sort of "salting" the nest if you will. A hen will see that someone has laid an "egg" there and think (what little they think) Hey! This must be a good place to lay since someone else already has!
My hens starting to lay coincided with a time that I had them on lockdown while they adjusted to their new coop. The nestboxes were there and the hens didn't have any place else to go, so that's where they started their laying. Now they are very devoted to their nest boxes. They free range all day, but will come from far and wide to lay in the coop.
If they start to lay and aren't using the nest boxes I would suggest lockdown for a few days until they get the idea.

 

[Judy]

Mine free range, meaning they can leave the county if they wish. They hang around fairly close to the coop most of the time; I don't think they ever go more than maybe 100 yards or so. They return to the coop and the nest box to lay. I did use golf balls or small round rocks at first.

A week or two before they start laying, their combs will turn redder, and you may start to see "the squat," esp. if there is a roo. May also happen if you reach to pet them. They will lower their body to the ground, spread the wings a little, and maybe stick the butt up in the air a bit. (They are signaling they are ready to mate, to put it delicately.)