New at this and just found our first five eggs in the goat shed...

[adkrock]

We have three laying boxes in the chicken coup and found our first five eggs (woo hoo!) in the goat shed. Our chickens free range during the day and we lock them up at night. This morning one of the hens ran into the goat shed to sit on the eggs. My question is should I move the one egg to the nesting boxes or leave it in the goat shed?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Definitely move the nest they made. If you don't have golf balls or something to use as decoy eggs then put them in the nesting boxes in the coop.

 

[adkrock]

Can you explain why? We are at odds here. My wife says to leave them in the goat shed.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They are just starting to lay. If you want them to use the nesting boxes you should attempt to train them to use them right from the beginning. Pullets like to lay in a nest that's being used. Golf balls are a common decoy to use but you can use the fresh laid eggs for a few days until they get the knack of it.

If your coop is large enough to coop them for a day that would greatly speed up their acceptance of the nesting boxes, forcing them to use it.

 

[bobbi-j]

If you want them to lay in the nest boxes, I would do as Egghead suggests and coop them for a day or two (if it's big enough, well-ventilated and they won't get too hot in there) and put golf balls or some other thing that is similar to an egg in the nest. If it doesn't matter to you where they're laying and you don't care if you have to go to the goat shed to pick eggs, let them be. At least you know where they're laying. We have so many places they can lay - sheds, and old barn, tall grass - that when they decide to lay other than in the nest boxes during the summer, I retrain them to the coop.