Not laying in the nesting boxes

[chickenshet]

Hi all!
I recently integrated three more birds (6 month pullets) into my flock of three so we now have a flock of 6. Well, these new birds won't have anything to do with my nesting boxes and my 3 original chickens are not laying in the nesting boxes either. I am finding some eggs in the run and most inside the coop in front of the ramp out. Any suggestions on how to get them to lay in their nesting boxes? I have two nesting boxes that are 14" deep and range from 12" wide to 15" wide. I have them filled with straw and a little bit of wood chips. Am I doing anything wrong?
Thanks in advance!
Mary

 

[Fritatta]

None of them have ever layed in the boxes?

Is it especially hot where the boxes are?

Pine shavings would be better as bedding.

 

[Momagain1]

I use hay/straw whichever I always say the wrong thing...

I personally am not buying pine shavings as I can get the other cheape and it lasts longer..

HOWEVER...do you have any fake eggs or golf balls in the nest boxes???
Sometimes you need fake eggs to "show" them where to lay...

Are the nest boxes in the coop? run? do they have access to it all day long?

Are they able to get IN the nest boxes?? meaning are the openings large enough?

 

[sixty7x]

can you move the nest boxes? If they are in the nest box can they bee seen from the outside? try giving them more privacy. Try the golf ball trick and maybe try blocking off where they are laying their eggs now.

 

[klmclain1]

Golf balls work great! and pine shavings...they're nice and soft.

 

[mikensara]

we just started getting eggs we found a few on the ground but the last 3 days the girls have been using the boxes. I kept putting them in the boxes a few times a day now they like them and prefer the boxes to the roost at night

 

[sixty7x]

same problem here. My new hens like to roost in the nesting box. I block it off at night. Then they try to roost outside. I have to put them in every night. Luckily I only have 4 birds so it's not too bad.

 

[chickenshet]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Maybe I should put a lot more shavings into the nesting boxes and see if that helps. We used golf balls and fake eggs but the new chickens started playing with them so I pulled them out because I didn't want to encourage them to play with their eggs. I went out to the coop a bit ago and there were 2 eggs in one of the nesting boxes (from the original chickens). Hopefully the newbies will follow suit soon! Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[mystang89]

I had a similar problem with mine and was told golf balls. That worked for me and I have saw dust/shavings in my nesting boxes.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

My girls would not lay in the straw. I had to replace it with pine shavings (but I still use straw on the coop floor, just shavings in the nestboxes) because they would kick all the straw out of the nestbox and then just go lay in the coop. I replace it with just a thin layer of pine shavings and a fake egg in each one (half off at Hobby Lobby) and it worked perfect. No more kicking bedding out, no more laying in weird places.