Opinion on nesting boxes

[Renee572]

Thanks aart, I will try those things. She hasn't looked in the drawer nest boxes only the box I put on the side so I really think that's where she would prefer to lay but something is keeping her from actually stepping in. I will try a cinder block in front of it.

 

[Wol1]

I've got an older generation and a young group starting to lay. Both times there's been a period of confusion and frustration. The first time, I just kept picking them up and putting them in the box and putting my hand on their backs and talking to them quietly. The hand calms them and they slowly sink down. After a few tries, one took to it and then the rest followed suit. This time 'round, I had one who kept laying eggs outside the coop no matter what I did. A few were laying in the nest boxes, but she refused. A few days ago I shut her in the coop when she was ready to lay (keening noises, panting) and then stayed in there with her and tried several tactics until I figured out something that she was happy with. Turned out that she was interested in a using a corner on the floor. Her first choice was under the roost. Yuck. I tried leaning a board against a different corner. She was interested until she stood on it and it collapsed. Then I leaned a board catercorner and put some straw in it. She was very interested, but still wouldn't use it. OK. I put a few of her eggs in it. More interest, but still refused. Hmmmm. Filled it with some of the weeds where she lays outside and put the eggs in. NO WAY. Took the weeds out. Put in grass clippings and made a deep well in the middle, and put her eggs in. Ah, that's just right. Had to remind her the next day where it was, and she's started using it every day. Now some of the others are using it. My husband finally had the time to add some more nest boxes right above it and she actually moved up there. Whew! A few others (including Gen 1) are still using the corner box on the floor.

Perhaps you could take the pan out of one of the bottom ones, put an old scrap of vinyl flooring or rubber roofing or an old shower curtain in the bottom with the bedding and see if they would use it without the pan? You could also sacrifice a few eggs and leave some of their eggs in it to try to "ring a bell" in their brains. I did this for a few days and marked the old ones so I could change them out so they wouldn't rot.

I agree that they will need a landing spot for the top drawer.

Good luck! Persistence and time should help.

 

[Renee572]

Alright I give. Penguin will lay her egg where she pleases and nothing I do will change her mind.

I added perches to the boxes, used golf balls, put up curtains, I even held her in there and talked to her and pet her and she still refuses.

I'm going to chalk it up to her still not knowing what is happening. I have watched her for an hour 3 different days around the time that she should lay. I watch her pace back and forth, sit and kick the bedding up, pace some more, she gets very vocal. I haven't heard the egg song, it sounds like she is growling. I have yet to witness her actually laying but after the hour I watch her I go in the house for an hour and come back out to find an egg where she had been freaking out. Always a different place, no rhyme or reason. So I really think she just has no idea what's going on until it comes out.

Anyway I'm just gonna leave it be and hope that the other 4 lay in the boxes. If she ends up being the only one to lay on the floor then so be it, 1 egg on the coop floor won't kill me. And it's not like she can really hide it in the coop. But if the other 4 follow her lead and lay on the floor then I'll have to figure something else out.

penguin-1
Me-0

 

[aart]

Sometimes all you can do is wait.

You tried everything, hopefully she will figure it out.

 

[Renee572]

Ok here I am back at it... We have a 2nd layer who followed the 1st ones lead and laid in the corner next to the next boxes. I decided to take the dresser nest boxes out and forget about that idea. I really saw no interest whatsoever in that set up. I decided to just cut an opening in a big rubbermaid tote I have. Filled it with wood chips and put it in the coop. Right away my first layer checked it out and also the hen who I suspect is our 2nd layer did too. They both scratched around, sat for a while. I left them alone for 30-45 mins and come back to find 2 beautiful eggs.... right outside of the tote! Ughhh. So aggrevating. So my question is do you think they just don't feel like the wood chips are a good place to lay their eggs? We don't really have a coop floor, it's just open to the dirt ground and so I wondered if they might like construction sand in the nest box. Would anyone agree that maybe I should try construction sand?

 

[aart]

Ok here I am back at it... We have a 2nd layer who followed the 1st ones lead and laid in the corner next to the next boxes. I decided to take the dresser nest boxes out and forget about that idea. I really saw no interest whatsoever in that set up. I decided to just cut an opening in a big rubbermaid tote I have. Filled it with wood chips and put it in the coop. Right away my first layer checked it out and also the hen who I suspect is our 2nd layer did too. They both scratched around, sat for a while. I left them alone for 30-45 mins and come back to find 2 beautiful eggs.... right outside of the tote! Ughhh. So aggrevating. So my question is do you think they just don't feel like the wood chips are a good place to lay their eggs? We don't really have a coop floor, it's just open to the dirt ground and so I wondered if they might like construction sand in the nest box. Would anyone agree that maybe I should try construction sand?

I'd give that setup a week...give them time to get used to it.

Most chickens don't like change and need time to get used to things, so don't expect immediate results when you change/add anything.

 

[Renee572]

Alright I'll give it some time. At least they were checking it out I guess. Bad thing is I had my husband help me move the coop to a different spot in the yard. I thought they would get more shade and the coop was totally in the shade for a good amount of the day and then I went out there a bit ago to find only a tiny portion of the coop shaded and they were all huddled over there. Hmmm, what to do!! I had just given them some left overs and ended up putting it where the little bit of shade was (before it was the only part of the coop shaded) so they were laying all over it and now they are filthy, how do you clean chickens??

 

[krose2001]

My pullets have not started laying yet, so not posting from experience but I have a question-- when I was growing up, my grandparents had TONS of chickens, as well as ducks and guinea fowl. Although they had at least 6 nesting boxes in the chicken coop I can remember the 2 at the far back were the ones used by ALL of the hens. So every morning when I would go out, I would gather eggs from those two boxes, but the other 4 were almost always empty. I always thought it was strange that the hens didn't mind laying their eggs mixed in with other hens eggs, but maybe it makes them feel it's a safe place.

Which brings me to my question---

Could you pick up Penguin's egg and put it in the nesting box and leave it for her and the others to see, at least for a day or two?

It might inspire the others, and steer her to repeat laying in the same location the egg is already at, rather than have 1 egg in the nesting box and another on the floor, since they try to lay all together to accumulate a clutch.

Would be interesting to hear if it would work.

 

[Renee572]

My pullets have not started laying yet, so not posting from experience but I have a question-- when I was growing up, my grandparents had TONS of chickens, as well as ducks and guinea fowl.  Although they had at least 6 nesting boxes in the chicken coop I can remember the 2 at the far back were the ones used by ALL of the hens. So every morning when I would go out, I would gather eggs from those two boxes, but the other 4 were almost always empty. I always thought it was strange that the hens didn't mind laying their eggs mixed in with other hens eggs, but maybe it makes them feel it's a safe place.

Which brings me to my question---

Could you pick up Penguin's egg and put it in the nesting box and leave it for her and the others to see, at least for a day or two?

It might inspire the others, and steer her to repeat laying in the same location the egg is already at, rather than have 1 egg in the nesting box and another on the floor, since they try to lay all together to accumulate a clutch.

Would be interesting to hear if it would work.

I've thought about it but not too keen on leaving eggs out too long in this heat... it's still in the 100s here in AZ! I have a ceramic egg in the box hoping that will convince them.

 

[krose2001]

let me know if ceramic egg works. I have been using golf balls to no avail and was thinking of picking up a ceramic egg...