Not laying eggs in their boxes

[dldonaldsn]

My new chicks just began to lay their first eggs but are not laying eggs in their boxes, only on the ground outside. I put fake wooden eggs in a couple of the boxes to try to show them where to lay but they still lay outside. How can I get them to lay in the laying boxes?

 

[RainbowHen]

Where are your nesting boxes situated? Bedding? You can lock them in the coop for a few days. Tends to help. Best of luck!

 

[MarkJr]

Lock them up for their laying time. It’ll force them to look for a new spot. That spot, ideally, will be the nest boxes.
Snap a picture and post so the sharp people here can use their eagle eyes to point out any issues before though.

 

[dldonaldsn]

Lock them up for their laying time. It’ll force them to look for a new spot. That spot, ideally, will be the nest boxes.
Snap a picture and post so the sharp people here can use their eagle eyes to point out any issues before though.

Where are your nesting boxes situated? Bedding? You can lock them in the coop for a few days. Tends to help. Best of luck!

 

[dldonaldsn]

The nesting boxes are about 3 feet off the floor of the coop, and they climb up there on the ladder which they use often. The boxes are filled with pine shavings and dry straw on the floor. They actually climb up into the boxes and lay down in them. I put painted wooden eggs, very authentic looking, into the boxes so they would get the idea. Their nighttime roosts are up off to the side and opposite of the boxes.

I have 8 newer hens (6 Americaunas and 2 Black Australorps) that just turned 20 weeks and 4 very, very old hens (2 RIR and 2 barred rock). The old hens no longer lay eggs and the new eggs have all been green so far. All my old hens, and the others I have had over the last few years, have always gone into the boxes. This has never happened before!!

They are all currently on temporary lock-up within the coop and run because of a bobcat attack which killed my rooster and 3 hens 3 weeks ago. I have to keep them inside until we can get rid of the bobcat. He keeps showing up on my trail cam looking for more hens to eat. The coop is about 8' x 10' and the adjoining run is about 15' x 10'. Before the bobcat they use to free range. The new chicks just started laying 2 days ago and I have had 3 eggs so far, all in the outside run.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since they're very new to laying they might not have connected the dots between nest box and egg laying. Since you mentioned they do climb up there to look into the nests, I think with a bit more time they'll discover the fake eggs, put 1+1 together, and start using them.

If they still don't correct themselves and you have the time to stalk them, what I did was I learned the problem bird(s) laying schedules, and when they went to their preferred spot to lay, I'd go and pick them up, stick them in a nest box, and barricade them in using my arms to cover the exit. 30-60 seconds was all they needed to calm down and start exploring the box and decide that maybe it wasn't such a bad place to be. They each started reliably using the boxes after that.

Alternatively, some folks design "doors" on their nest boxes so birds can be locked in, which basically does the same as above, but forces the bird to stay in the nest box (whereas once I see them exploring and sitting down in the nest, I leave them to it and walk away).

 

[dldonaldsn]

Thanks. I will give them a bit more time to discover the eggs in the nest boxes. If the others start to lay in the boxes the problem may correct itself. I really hope those who have not started to lay eggs don't take to laying outside also. If worse comes to worse, I will block them inside the coop, or try to guess the laying schedule (if seems to be some time in the afternoon).