remove my girls' favorite nesting box. The problem is the box was part of the shed that we converted into our coop. It was nailed to the wall so I left it in the building. When they started laying one of the chickens was using the box to lay her eggs in. They also started roosting around the outside edge of the box. As time has passed they have almost all started laying in the big wooden box. Needless to say, with them sleeping around the edge of the box I'm having to clean the box out all the time. I detached the box from the wall and moved it but they still use it. My husband wants to take it out but I'm afraid they'll lay eggs everywhere but in the proper boxes if we do that. So...is there a handy trick to remove that big wooden box without causing a big ruckus?
can it fit into or over the other nesting box where you want them to lay? you could try that, they'll lay in it, then you remove it a few times hoping they'll lay in the new box automatically... eventually removing it for good. just a thought.
Hmmm. I wonder if we could tip it on it's side and stick another nesting box inside of it. Actually we're using milk crates for the nesting boxes so we can move those around pretty freely. I need to have my husband put in another roost of two for them as well. They probably wont' use them but oh well. I just need to think of a good way to trick them. I had a busy day today and didn't get out to clean the box until after they'd already "gone to bed." They weren't too fond of me wedging my way in between them to scoop out the old straw and put in the new. I do like to watch them at night...they are so different when they're "in bed."
You should be able to pull it out completely and put golf balls in the other nest boxes to show them where they are supposed to lay.
They know where...at least I think they all do. I still get one egg a day in the proper place. I used to get most of the eggs in the proper place but they all switched on me. They are stubborn.
Quote:What Rooster Red said. You may have a week or two of confusion by a couple of your girls, but in the end, chickens like a dark, safe place to lay so they'll end up in the other nest boxes.
We did the same thing with our shed but there are 6 nesting boxes built in and we built a roost above them. they all roost there at night except our one weird hen. She sleeps in her box but never lays an egg. go figure!