Nest eggs?Do they work?

[hzuma]

Our hens have yet too lay ANYTHING! I have heard 2 schools of thoughts about nest eggs, one being that they will cause the hens to begin laying, and the other that they will stop production. As we have had no "production" yet, I am thinking about trying it anyway!
Our girls are Rhode Island Reds and are still pretty young - only about 28 wks (approx) old.

Any thoughts or suggestions would really be appreciated!!!

 

[Ga Chicken Mom]

Don't know if nest eggs - we used golf balls - had anything to do with laying sooner but I think they helped with laying in the right place. The girls have always used the nest boxes. It seems like the longest wait for the first eggs. Do your girls have noticeably redder combs and are they squatting? These are 2 changes that I noticed before our first eggs.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I don't know about helping pullets "start" production. It may coax hens that have stopped production over winter, to start back up.

Most people use them to show the hens where they are suppose to lay, to do this you put 1 egg in each nest.

The second use I have for them it, I've always suggested putting 6-7 in a nest if you want to lure a hen to go broody. A momma hen won't usually set just one egg, but you leave 5 or more nest eggs in a nest you will probably find a broody within a few days!

It just depends on the number and what you want to use them for. I leave 1 golfball(cheaper then buying wooden eggs) in each nest, so the hens aren't fighting over a single nest. If I wanted a broody, I would put the golfballs(5-10) in one nest. Just remember if your trying to coax a hen into broodiness, leave 1 golfball(or nest egg) in another nest or two for the hens that aren't broody.

-Kim

 

[Sherry]

The other school of thought on nest eggs is they discourage egg eating. The hen/pullet can peck on them and they won't break. Then when an egg is laid they don't bother pecking them.

That's what my grandfather told me.

 

[jmk3482]

I used fake eggs in the nest boxes to help the hens know where to lay. They started laying and I took them out, and they starting laying on the floor!!!

So I put them back and they started laying in the nests again. But now that they are older, I don't need to use them anymore.

 

[hzuma]

Thanks for all the tips - we put some golf balls in their boxes just in case. Maybe we'll have some Easter eggs soon!