My First and Second Eggs!!! Butit didnt get laid in the nest boxes...

[seattlehens83]

Went out late this morning to give the my 5 pullets some scratch and I was pleasently suprised to find a nice little bown egg hanging out in the run!! I'm happy that I have my first egg but is there something wrong with my nest boxes??

UPDATE: Its now the next day and I found another egg in the run this AM at 10. What to do???

Here's a few pics:

Ive had a few golf balls in the nest boxes for about a week in anticition of laying but it seems to not have worked its magic.

What should I do??? I was thinking of keeping them in the coop unitl like noon and then letting them out into the run.

THanks,

Colin

 

[chickbea]

Yay! First egg!

It looks like you have lovely nest boxes!
Since it was your girl's first egg, it was probably a bit of a surprise to her that something came out of her behind! After a few more eggs she will recognize the sensation of an egg on the way, and will most likely look for a safer spot to lay it. Hopefully that will be your nest boxes! Once one starts laying where you want, the others should copy her. However, don't be surprised if they use only one box and ignore the other - chickens are funny things...
I don't think I would confine them to the coop in the morning - sometimes a new layer will get bothered by other hens in her space. Just give them access to the nests and they should be using them appropriately soon.

 

[Marcymom3]

Congratulations on the first egg! I remember how excited I was to find it. And, What a pretty coop!! Once they figure out what's happening to them, they'll go in the nest boxes. Good luck! Wishing you many happy eggs to come!

 

[ozark_chickies]

First eggs will sometimes surprise a hen, and she will lay it wherever she happens to be. Nothing is wrong with your nests, the pullet just needs to figure out what is going on. Do you have a rooster with your flock? A good rooster will show the hens where to lay. Even if you don't have a roo, she will catch on.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Our first egg was laid on the floor of the coop too. You are doing everything right. Like the previous poster said, they'll get the hang of it soon. Congrats, by the way!

 

[seattlehens83]

No rooster... hmm well from the sound of it I guess I'll give her a few days to figure it out before I start confining her. I dont expect my other pullets to start laying for another few weeks as they are all different breeds. Pretty sure it was my Red Star at 17 weeks old that laid the egg. I have a White Rock, Barred Rock, Black Austrlorp and a Speckeld Susex all at 17 weeks.

Thanks for the replys!!!

 

[gale65]

Our first eggs were laid outside the boxes and we found the occasional one out in the coop (and even a couple in the run) at the beginning. Now they mostly lay them in the nest boxes but we do find them in the coop sometimes. Congratulations!!

 

[seattlehens83]

Second day and second egg... but she laid it in the run again... hmm... was checking a few times out the window for egss in the run this AM and she laid around 10AM... should I just let this work itself out for a few more days and then start thinking about locking them up till like 11AM???

 

[redhen009]

I think what the others are saying is right. My first few eggs were laid under the tree. I think you're taking all the right steps with cozy nesting boxes and the golfballs. A tip - don't let any other creatures or yourself into the coop. The chickens lay where they feel safe. If they don't feel safe in the coop then they won't lay there. Another tip - If you lined the nesting boxes with something under the pine chips they won't like it. It doesn't look like you did but just in case I thought I would let you know. Congrats on the eggs!

 

[debid]

One of mine laid her first few eggs ON THE ROOST (and yes, they fell but none of them broke!) I think it just took her a week to correlate the feeling of needing to lay with going to a nest box. It was a real shocker for me since most of mine had already started with first eggs exactly where they belonged but apparently some chickens need a bit of practice before they get it right. I'd have to disagree with birds being particular about the nestbox lining. I'm using open plastic bins with straw in them which is often scratched out when they make their divots exposing the slippery plastic bottom. The chickens don't care. They really only care about the box being an appropriate size and feeling like a safe place for their eggs.

I'm also pretty sure that if your chickens sleep in their coop, they believe it to be safe. Mine don't give a rip if I invade their space -- not even the cockerel. They see me as a caretaker, not a predator.