New member with nesting questions

[FAIRCHILD III]

So, I am a new chicken owner. My setup is a 10x10 dog kennel. Onnthe outside there is a dog condo ( 6x4x4tall) that I converted to their coop. I have a two by four as a perch in the kennel, and a small branch across inside on one side of the coop. It is bare wood floor, I took 4 3 gallon buckets and set them 2x2 in the coop and added straw to them. As far as stock I have 5 copper marans, and 5 golden comets. The hens have laid 3 eggs, a day ago but not in the nest buckets I made. They laid in the corner where I had extra straw piled. So, yesterday I took out the straw in the corner so the only straw in the coop is in the buckets. After checking today they didn't lay. Will they get used to my makeshift nests?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Den in Penn]

Welcome to BYC
The three gallon buckets may be a little small. For full size hens its one square foot for each nest. They may use them, hens do lay in some tight spaces. If you can put some decoy eggs, wooden, ceramic, plastic or even golf balls in the nest it will help tell them where to lay. They may take a while to settle in and lay. Changes stress them and they can slow down and even stop laying for a while. If you just got them them, eggs they laid were already in the pipeline. Hope you enjoy your chicken experience

 

[FAIRCHILD III]

Thanks so much! I may have to do the decoy idea! How long should I leave them in? Until they lay?

 

[Den in Penn]

Till they lay reliably in the nests. Some just keep them in all the time.