My girls laid their first egg. Woohoo!

[peepersandbuzz]

One of my two girls laid their first egg last night! I'm so excited. I do, however, have one question/concern. The egg was laid just outside the coop and in the dirt. Every time I put straw in their coop, they pull it out and play with it. They share the coop together. At night, I latch the door shut and let them out bright and early in the morning.

What can I do so that they keep the straw in the coop (not a big deal if they don't), but what do I need to do so they lay their eggs inside their coop. These are my first pet chickens. Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[eggmandoo]

Try wood shavings ? I use them and the hens generally don't cause too much mess. Maybe you could try keeping them inside so they will learn to lay in coop.

 

[Wyatt0224]

What you could do is build a nesting box. That is probably why they laid it in the dirt and outside the coop. Between two hens one nesting box should be plenty big enough.

 

[peepersandbuzz]

The coop is a 3x3 area. It has a flat area and then a step up where the girls sleep. I feel like if I were to get a shaped nest on that step, put some ceramic eggs inside, that they would lay in there. Their run is a 10x10x6 area and the coop sits in the middle of that.

What kind of wood shavings? Are there some types of woods that are harmful?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Congratulations on your first egg

As the others have posted, if you don't have a nesting box, adding one would be a good idea. There are tons of creative ideas for building a nesting box, some use buckets, crates or build/buy a "traditional" box.

You may also want to place a golf ball or purchase some ceramic eggs (I found mine at Tractor Supply) and place them in the nest. This "usually" will encourage them to lay their eggs there. I leave my ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes all the time, so no need to take them out once your girls start laying.

Good luck with your ladies!