Nesting Boxes Advice - Pics

[JimmyMack]

Good day all. Looking for some advice please. Thanks in advance.

Newbie here. I have 6 hens, all 17 weeks old and they free range morning til night. First two soft shelled eggs in the bottom of coop last week. No eggs since then and trying to train to lay in boxes. Concerned about size of nesting boxes. See pic below.

1. Nesting boxes are 10 inches wide, 10 inches high and 12 inches deep. Are they too small?

2. Any other helpful advice on trying to train them? I will also post this in egglaying section.

Thank you!!!!

Oh, also I have blocked off the top of the nest boxes to prevent them from roosting on top and pooping all over and in front of nest box openings. Seems when it was open, they would try and all sleep on that ledge and it would be full of poop in the morning. So I blocked it off and they found the roost.

 

[BarefootMom]

they look good to me. most of my nest boxes are that size-ish.





BTW it is against BYC TOU to double post a thread, one of these will probably be shut down.

 

[Lollipop]

Most likely they will like the cozy aspect of the small nests. The problems you are having are typical of young layers. Most get their act together in short order. BTW, I`m a big fan of gound level nest boxes. If you ever decide to let a broody hatch chicks, that`s the best arrangement........Pop

 

[savingpurple]

Mine are about that size too. 12 x 12 x 12 with a 3" lip on the front edge.

 

[Noymira]

I think the size and number of nesting boxes is fine, they will get the hang of laying in their eventually.

I've got some 18 week old pullets just starting to lay and I keep finding eggs on the floor in the middle of the coop, I'm using the golf balls too, hoping to give them the idea.