not laying in the boxes

[bugkiller]

OK i should not complain but i am going to. Got my first 2 shickens on tuseday. They are going in the coop at dusk on ther own right from the start. sleeping on the roost on there own. Even laid 3 eggs from 2 hens in the first 3 days in there new home. Now my problem is they are laying all over the coop not even near the nest box. Could they not like my nests. 5 Gal pails cut in half

 

[bugkiller]

Quote:
PS there is bedding in the coop now. the pic was taken during the building stage.

 

[h_palmer]

I had two lay boxes - wooden box on its side with a divider and fill it with straw thats when I only had two hens and each used to lay in their own box - now we have four and we put another wooden box up abit higher on its side again filled with straw now all four lay in that particular box - dunno why yours are laying in them what do you put into the pails, maybe if your take off the front - ours are cover over so its a little dark, I would try a pail not cut in half but left whole, put some holes in it and take off the top and maybe they will lay in that, maybe yours are too open, really dont know I am a novice at this myself....

I hope someone out there that has more knowledge can help you out.

Regards
Heather

 

[goldies99]

the top is kind of high...and wide open....they like it a little more private...you should cut i little more so it has a lower entrance...check out other next boxes...aslo does it have hay or
some type pf bedding in thr next box????......put a golf ball...to act as a fake eggs to teach the hens where to lay...

 

[CarolJ]

Make sure there is straw or pine shavings in the nests so that they look like a nest - and then put some fake eggs or golf balls in there to show them what they're to be used for. Good luck!

 

[bugkiller]

Yes i am tryin the golf ball trick tonight and there is pine shavings in both boxes.

 

[goldies99]

i think you need to cut the front opening so it looks more like a walk in next box for them!

 

[CarolJ]

Are the bucket halves stable? If they roll sideways, that might be off-putting to the chickens. I agree, too, that the high ends might make it difficult for them to enter the nest. I hope you work it out and they figure out where they're supposed to lay their eggs!

 

[pokemonshop]

use golf balls !!!!! it works like magic

 

[cluck-darth-peep]

I took a store bought egg, put a very small hole at each end, then blew out the egg. I placed one (emptied egg) in every other nest box. My RIR laid her first egg 6:30am today, and she laid that egg in a nest box with the empty egg. The other 2 chickens also look at the nest boxes with the empty eggs. So if you do not have a golf ball, blow out a store bought egg. And no, none of the chickens, (2 are heavy breeds) have broken the blown out eggs.