Nesting Box Curtain

[LAS1315]

Hi! My girls FINALLY started laying a couple of weeks ago. They clearly have a favorite box (the end). My thoughts is because it's the darkest so I decided to add curtains. Should I put fake eggs back in or let it ride since they know to lay in the boxes? Yellow lines are in front of their favorite boxes.

 

[Penpal]

You used the box lids as a curtain rod- clever. You can easily expect three hens per nest. So, if you have more than six hens they may never ever use the two extra boxes.

Also, I think Sasquatch is visiting your chickens. Look in the shadow.

 

[StinkyAcres]

It's completely normal for hens to have a favorite nesting box and it usually has nothing to do with the box itself or its placement etc. Don't worry about it. I would still keep the fake eggs in all of them until they really get the hang of it.

 

[LAS1315]

You used the box lids as a curtain rod- clever. You can easily expect three hens per nest. So, if you have more than six hens they may never ever use the two extra boxes.

Also, I think Sasquatch is visiting your chickens. Look in the shadow.

Yes i figured about the number of boxes. I had two eggs randomly in the run not the boxes today so I went down the rabbit hole as to why I thought they weren't dark enough.

 

[aart]

Be careful of any strings that might come off the cut material,
they can become tangled around bodies, feet, wings, tongues.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Should I put fake eggs back in or let it ride since they know to lay in the boxes?

I keep one fake egg (golf ball) in my nests all of the time. I don't see the benefit of removing it.

My hens have a favorite, though that favorite can move around some. While most eggs may be in one nest I generally collect eggs from three different nests each day with a total of around 7 eggs. Typically I get 4 eggs in one nest, 2 in another, and a single egg in a third nest.

I don't know if having a fake egg in each nest helps them spread it around but I see no reason to test that theory.

 

[Themellowyellows]

Do curtains stop chickens from laying in random spots? I need help, one of my hens is laying eggs in the dirt bathing spot

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do curtains stop chickens from laying in random spots? I need help, one of my hens is laying eggs in the dirt bathing spot

Is the spot inside a run or outside? Has she ever laid in a nest box? She might need to be trained/retrained to use the nest box.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Be careful of any strings that might come off the cut material,

My first set of curtains became so shredded and they just pecked and pulled at them until I pulled them all down. No curtains for years now. I just cut a piece of upholstery leather for a seat cushion I am redoing and was trying to think of uses for the leftover leather... The girls would not be able to shred leather....

 

[Themellowyellows]

Is the spot inside a run or outside? Has she ever laid in a nest box? She might need to be trained/retrained to use the nest box.

Yep, she has layed for all life in a nest, when she started to molt thats when she started layinf everywhere but the nest. Lately, we have been finiding eggs in the run, before we would find it outside.