My girls will not lay in the nesting boxes

[PoultryVines]

We have 1 Sicilian buttercup and 2 bared rocks. We got our first egg on New Years day from our buttercup. She has layer every other day since. A few days ago we got our first brown egg but not sure from which one. They insist on laying on the floor under their roost.
We have 3 nesting boxes for them. We have tried putting a wooden egg in the box, moving their eggs to the box and hanging a curtain for more privacy!!! Any suggestions?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Congratulations on that first egg!!
It can take a bit for them to get the hang of the whole idea of not just laying but where to lay. Can you post a photo of your setup so that we can see what the birds are seeing - it may be that we can offer some suggestions to help. I would suggest using more bait - you mention using "a wooden egg" - I would suggest putting 2-3 pieces of bait in each box. Golf balls are great for this and usually come in packages such that there would be plenty of balls to "chum the waters" in all the boxes. Have you ever seen them in the boxes checking them out at all? How are the boxes filled?

 

[PoultryVines]

Here is our set up. We have pine shavings on the floor of the roosting house. We had straw in the boxes but changed to pine a couple of days ago thinking they liked it better. They will get on top of the nesting boxes and sit on the roost in front, but we have not seen them inside. While out taking these pics, i baited the boxes with golf balls and parsley from the garden, which is their favorite treat now since the tomatoes are gone.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

So the nest boxes are outdoors and your birds are going into the coop and laying under the roost in there?
I would suggest looking at options to modify your coop and perhaps attach the nest boxes to the actual structure (sort of hanging off the back so to speak) - you won't lose any coop space, but the boxes will be in the location your birds are indicating is more comfortable to them to lay in. This will also be advantageous during times when the weather makes them reluctant to go out of the coop to get to the outdoor nest boxes.

 

[PoultryVines]

Well, after 20 days, we got our first eggs in the nesting boxes where they belong!,

 

[PoultryVines]

We still have one that had not started laying. Today there was an egg with no she'll? Could this be her first egg?

 

[aart]

We still have one that had not started laying. Today there was an egg with no she'll? Could this be her first egg?

Yep, could be....could also be one of the other new layers.

Be careful of the strings hanging off that burlap, entanglement or ingestion could be a problem.

 

[PoultryVines]

Yes, we took it off when I saw that they were pulling on it. We had read that sometimes they prefer to lay in private!! Lol, it never worked.

 

[aart]

Yes, we took it off when I saw that they were pulling on it. We had read that sometimes they prefer to lay in private!! Lol, it never worked.

Good...lol.... Yeah, I think curtains are more for the keepers than the chickens.

 

[PoultryVines]

Yeaaayyyyy, eggs in the nesting boxes 4 days in a row!! We got rid of the curtains, took out the golf ball bait and removed the pine shavings from the floor of the roosting area. After a couple of days of laying eggs on the bare wood, they got the idea!! Now getting 10-12 eggs a week from my 3 girls.