Nest boxes = chicken entertainment centers?

[Noble Rooster]

We just had our first egg yesterday

(at 16.5 weeks! But the girl who most likely laid it is a bit more ahead in her development than the others). So of course last night after work we were setting them up with the layer pellets, oyster shell, etc., and now have to get their nest boxes set up ASAP. My husband had read in one of the chicken care books that a good way to introduce the ladies to a nest box is to leave it on the floor of the coop so they can check it out, and then gradually raise it to where you want it to be ultimately. So, we dutifully set up a little nest box for them (with a perfect, egg-shaped stone that happened to be outside our barn as an exemplar). This morning as they all hopped off their roosts they went over to inspect it. By the time I checked in on them again about 3 hours later, the straw and other nest box bedding had been festooned around the coop, the stone egg was in the shavings, and the box was flipped over. (Our girls play hard....)

I recognize that they have to explore and figure things out for themselves and that this was their first introduction to a nest box, but for going forward, I was wondering what folks have done to try to minimize nest-box playing? (We're going to start by raising it so it's not right in the middle of the general running around/coop hijinks.) Or do they eventually just figure it out, hopefully not destroying any eggs in the process?

Thanks so much!! This forum has been so fantastic for all my newbie questions. Thanks to all!

 

[AkTomboy]

I put my nesting boxes in before I even moved the girls out to the new coop. I have mounted to the wall and have a golf ball in each of them along with some hay. I then put one of my older girls in the coop with the new girls. Momma Chicken as we call her went to laying right away in the middle box. Every day there is an egg in the middle box. Slowly the new girls are starting to lay most offten in the box far the left. So far I havent had to pick up anything from them playing or whatnot. But my boxes also have a little lip on the front about 2 inches to help keep things inside. I hope this helps some.