My hens won't lay in the coop and keep getting out of yard to lay !!

[LaBaze]

We have gotten about 10 eggs out of 13 chickens in 2 months. Most of which were from my silkie hen. They keep getting out of the yard and laying the woods. We have tried everything! Suggestions?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

What do your nestboxes look like? You might need to darken them just a bit - a piece of clothe across the front helps.

I would also mark some eggs - with an x or the date - and put those marked eggs into the nestboxes. This helps show the girls that the nestboxes are safe and the place to lay eggs.


What do you have in the nestboxes? Might want to add more shavings and put some hay in there.

 

[ranchhand]

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Stop them from getting out? If they can get out, predators can get in, so it's a good plan anyway.

 

[cluckin_crazy]

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Before my girls had the routine down, I had a golf ball in each nest box to show them what goes where. I don't have the woods problem, but if any of mine ever laid in the run, I just locked them inside the coop for a couple days so their only option was to lay in the nest box. Then they were also in there at the same time as the more seasoned layers so they saw them get up in the boxes.

 

[Countrywife]

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Before my girls had the routine down, I had a golf ball in each nest box to show them what goes where. I don't have the woods problem, but if any of mine ever laid in the run, I just locked them inside the coop for a couple days so their only option was to lay in the nest box. Then they were also in there at the same time as the more seasoned layers so they saw them get up in the boxes.

Same here

 

[LaBaze]

It might be the darkness thing, we currently have black buckets with hay, but the chickens drag the hay out then the goats eat it

we are going to get actual boxes as nests but my silkie hen lays on the ground in the coop... We have a large chicken yard for our chickens, turkey, and goats but we have had them for a while. We clipped their wings but they can still get over our 4 foot fence. They go into the woods around our house and I have found nests with eggs but not very often. There is a possum family and stray cats around our house that we are currently trapping and taking elsewhere. We have tried putting eggs inside the nests but didnt help. And everytime we find a nest with eggs in it, and we take them home and they lay somewhere else. I'm just out of ideas.

 

[littlelizajane]

I'm having the same problem with my chickens.... they pace like crazy to get out of the coop in the morning... I made them wait till one chicken finally laid her egg on the ground (not in the upstairs coop)... so I let them out as I thought she was the only layer we had so far... and one of them rushes to the table and hops up and lays it on a towel that she has been laying her eggs on daily... so I have put the towel in the coop... and we are going to lock them up for a few days.... especially after we found a hidden stash of 13 eggs under some wood... I took 3 of the eggs and marked them and put them in the coop... will see how this goes... Never thought I would have to train my chickens where to do their business!!!