My Silkies Refuse to lay in the Nesting Boxes!!

[lorijohnson823]

This is my first summer raising Silkies. I have never raised chickens before. All my Silkies every night, pile in a corner of the chicken coop together and sleep on top of each other. They never spread out. Now, I got two hens starting to lay. They aren't going over to the nesting boxes, I made. They are laying their eggs right in their corner, where everyone sleeps. What can I do to correct this? Is this just a behavioral thing with my Silkies? Help!

 

[bobbieschicks]

This is my first summer raising Silkies. I have never raised chickens before. All my Silkies every night, pile in a corner of the chicken coop together and sleep on top of each other. They never spread out. Now, I got two hens starting to lay. They aren't going over to the nesting boxes, I made. They are laying their eggs right in their corner, where everyone sleeps. What can I do to correct this? Is this just a behavioral thing with my Silkies? Help!

What ages are your silkies? If some are still young that would explain the pile in the corner sleeping. You can provide a low roost for them to sit/sleep on until they will go up on a higher roost. I have a ladder leading up to my roost/manure box and my roost are horizontally laid out so everyone has equal chance of finding a spot they like.

As far as nest box usage - even if there were other pullets already laying in there or a rooster to show them where to go - then you could still end up with them not laying in the box at times. When they first start laying there can be all kinds of issues, no shell or softshell eggs, double yolks, missed days, etc., but those things usually work themselves out within a couple of weeks.

If your nest boxes are elevated like mine are - you can provide a ladder or stool for them to jump up onto and then jump into the box. When you see them settling in to lay you can pick them up and put them inside the nest box until they have finished. They will get the hang of it eventually.

Do you have the same substrate in the box as on the floor? I have straw in my boxes and pine shavings on the floor. When my girls went broody (Silkie and EE) they preferred the pine shavings in their nest to the straw. Sometimes a change in bedding can help.

Do you have anything in the box to encourage them? I have pingpong balls in the boxes for them but you can use golf balls, ceramic eggs, plastic eggs, etc.

Of course all these things won't matter if they keep laying on the floor because they choose to do so. However in my limited experience with chickens (slightly under a year now) I have found that the floor layers eventually become box layers. That my silkies don't require so much pampering and they do fly up to the roost and roost with the other LF girls/boys.

Hope they work it out soon - I know it can be annoying to find eggs lying about - however you might think of it as an Easter egg hunt

 

[4silkieowner]

I need help with the same thing! I have 4 silkies, a crazy cackle toppie, and a classic red hen. My red hen regularly lays her eggs in the nesting boxes but all my silkies tend to lay eggs by the coop door, or underneath the boxes together. I prefer they use the nesting boxes since we have 2 and there's always one silkie chicken (we don't know which one) who lays her eggs wherever she pleases which has started to become a problem. I do notice that my red hen (Chumi) only use the nesting box to the left and the one to the right has clean, never used shavings, that we change regularly and put fake eggs in. My silkies are about 9 inches from feet the the top of their torso/ stomach, our boxes are 10 inches from shavings to the edge of the box, the boxes are 10x13 or 13x10. Any help is appreciated, Thank you!

 

[Greenacerslife919]

I need help with the same thing! I have 4 silkies, a crazy cackle toppie, and a classic red hen. My red hen regularly lays her eggs in the nesting boxes but all my silkies tend to lay eggs by the coop door, or underneath the boxes together. I prefer they use the nesting boxes since we have 2 and there's always one silkie chicken (we don't know which one) who lays her eggs wherever she pleases which has started to become a problem. I do notice that my red hen (Chumi) only use the nesting box to the left and the one to the right has clean, never used shavings, that we change regularly and put fake eggs in. My silkies are about 9 inches from feet the the top of their torso/ stomach, our boxes are 10 inches from shavings to the edge of the box, the boxes are 10x13 or 13x10. Any help is appreciated, Thank you!

I am a new chicken owner for like 6 months. Ive lost 8 of them just this week to a predator. I still have 2 silkies left one hen and one rooster and I have two red hens and my black rooster. U are right my red hens only use the left box not the other three boxes and my silkie is on the floor. Not sure what to do