not laying in the boxes

[TrystInn]

Try some ceramic or wooden eggs, they make great trainers.

 

[bugkiller]

Well i replaced the pails with shallow bins and put golf balls in both bins. now both chickens are now laying in the bins. worked like a charm. Thanks for the advise guys

 

[clarkechick]

Well, I'm having the same problem. I have a 12" x 12" nest box that is full of hay. I got my very first egg (after almost 6 months) this morning. Unfortunately it had landed on the poop tray under the roost. It actually might be cracked as if she laid it from up on the roost and it fell! I guess I'll try the golf balls tonight. Will they notice them in there? It seems like they'd have to be looking to find them. Here's a photo of the inside of the coop:

The nest box is in the back right.

 

[Chickpeep]

Quote:
All of my girls started to lay in September. When they first started to lay (15 RIRs) about 3/4ths of them dropped their first one or two eggs on the poop tarp. I think it startles them the first time??????? After that, they started to lay in the nest boxes (I used their own eggs to get the new layers to lay in the nest boxes). Eggs can remain out of the fridge for up to 12 days and will stay good. I have done this and it works like a champ. Now all 15 lay only in the nest boxes. Also, the girls like to have dark and privacy.

 

[keenecowboy]

I built a row of nest boxes in tow sections. 3 in the first section, that is not level but not by much. They will not lay in these boxes. In the section section of 4, they all seem to want to nest in next #3 a few in 2 and 4. I seems that if the nest in taken they lay on the ground underneath the nest. They are open, do you think i should put some kind of cover on them?