Nesting

[gamelife]

Any tips/tricks on how to get hens to lay and sit in their own nest? I've got a few hens in the same pen
and they're going to lay soon. I don't want them to share a single nest. I don't have any nest boxes set up yet because I thinking of a plan. Maybe I could put nest boxes/buckets/crates or whatever in a separate corner of the coop. Any ideas?

 

[Magic Birdie]

There's pretty much no way to make sure they don't squeeze in only one nest

 

[gamelife]

It just seems to be a mess when they're sharing nests.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check out this thread for ideas of how to make nests. There are no firm rules on what to do. This is not the only thread on here with ideas and pictures either. You are limited more by your imagination.

Nesting Boxes
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=41108

The rule of thumb is one nest box for every four laying hens, but I'd go with a minimum of two, just in case one goes broody. They do all tend to lay in the same one or two nests. I regularly see my hens pacing and looking in a nest where a hen is laying, impatiently waiting her turn while there are plenty of empty nest boxes around. Sometimes they climb in and lay together. I've seen three hens on the same nest at one time, but usually mine go one at a time.

I suggest putting a fake egg where you want them to lay. I have used plastic Easter eggs, partly filled with sand and glued shut, but those eventually separated. Now I use golf balls. I had one that got scratched out of the nest onto the ground. A hen that normally laid in the nest instead laid on the ground next to that golf ball. When I moved the golf ball back in the nest (and raised the lip so they would not scratch them out) she went back to laying in the nest.

 

[gamelife]

Quote:
Very helpful thanks, I'll try putting a golf ball in each nest see how that works.