Not laying in nesting boxes!

[RLockhart68]

Don't move the golf balls to where they're laying. That's reinforcing that they're doing the right thing in laying there.

If you know exactly which birds are the problem layers, then:

Now this isn't practical if you don't have time to stalk them, but 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).

I don't think the poster moved the golf balls. Sounds like the chickens did.

 

[Carson213]

i am having the same issue. one or two are laying in the boxes and 2-3 are laying on the floor of the coop. i can’t move my nesting boxes because that are back roll outs and i built them into the wall. i have been placing their eggs into the nesting boxes and placing random objects in the place they have laid on the floor. my coop is starting to look like a hoarder house inside with stuff in every corner. i have a good idea of which ones are laying but not of which birds are laying on the floor vs box. i am hoping that by placing the eggs into the boxes and blocking potential places on the floor...they will learn. they only started laying about ten days ago. everything is harder with a “fresh” flock than if you add new pullets to an existing flock.

 

[RLockhart68]

i am having the same issue. one or two are laying in the boxes and 2-3 are laying on the floor of the coop. i can’t move my nesting boxes because that are back roll outs and i built them into the wall. i have been placing their eggs into the nesting boxes and placing random objects in the place they have laid on the floor. my coop is starting to look like a hoarder house inside with stuff in every corner. i have a good idea of which ones are laying but not of which birds are laying on the floor vs box. i am hoping that by placing the eggs into the boxes and blocking potential places on the floor...they will learn. they only started laying about ten days ago. everything is harder with a “fresh” flock than if you add new pullets to an existing flock.

Mine is a fresh flock. Really hoping I get lucky with them using the boxes. Good luck with training your girls.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't think the poster moved the golf balls. Sounds like the chickens did.

Oh good catch - that's what I get for answering questions at 11 PM.

 

[rosemarythyme]

everything is harder with a “fresh” flock than if you add new pullets to an existing flock.

Eh, depends. My first batch of chicks (no existing adults) used the nest box without any issues or urging from me.

Second batch, had to manually retrain 3 of 4 pullets to use the boxes... they saw the hens using the nests for weeks, and I never blocked the nests off at any point, yet because the pullets never tried exploring the nests themselves, they didn't seem to realize they were even there!

Third batch, so far they're 100% on using the nest boxes, but they also were playing in them and exploring them since they were very young, so that seems to have made a difference.

 

[BantammChick]

You can try putting fake eggs in the nest boxes. Do you have straw in their boxes?

 

[Carson213]

What i meant...is if you bring in a new batch of pullets to an existing flock. if you start from scratch each time...harder. always use the old birds to train the new ones. overlap them a month every three years.

 

[Carson213]

What i meant...is if you bring in a new batch of pullets to an existing flock. if you start from scratch each time...harder. always use the old birds to train the new ones. overlap them a month every three years.

give the pullets a few months with your 3-4 year old birds before you harvest them...we just made broth or canned meat.