rescue chickens

[Nancyjane]

A couple of weeks ago, our local paper advertized that there were as many as 60 hens available at the local Humane Society! Many were being offered in several counties. We ended up having to go to Marin CO, cause our Sonoma Co were out of the chickens!
We got 2 leghorns, who are the cutest of cute!
My problem is that they don't know how to find a nest!
I made a nest ladder, they have 3 nests, I have put a marble egg in the nest
They just seem to lay anywhere, on the ground , or wherever.

 

[Bock_Bock]

you must live in the sfbay area iv seen that they were factory egglayers who were sought after to be killed , but were saved just intime, good luck with them

 

[Byrdj]

Good for you rescuing them! I would try putting the nest boxes on the floor until they get used using them. I think in time they will lay in the nest boxes on the ground. It wiil just take a while to get comfortable in their new home.

 

[FractalFarmer]

I saw that ad too. I was very tempted, but we already have waaay too many chooks, and I have "closed" my flock. Happy to hear from somebody who was able to rescue some. No advice for getting them to lay in their nests, but I'm sure someone here will have advice shortly. Kudos to you, and Happy New Year!

 

[Bock_Bock]

i would say just put them in nest and let them find their way down or you can put them at top of ladder or in coop and put food on ground so they have to learn to go down to get food and once they know what their food is put it in coop so they know they have to climb up to get to the food so they learn where the nest are and can climb into them

 

[digitS']

Good for you Nancyjane and welcome to BYC

!!

You don't really need 3 nests for 2 hens. In fact, you hardly need 3 nests for 10 hens - they like to all share the same one. But that hardly matters.

I have the same arrangement with a little ladder to a nest 18 inches above the floor. It was covered until just before I expected the pullets to begin laying. I don't think they even visited the nestbox on their own.

It's great that you like your new hens and I hope that you can handle them easily. Try not to frighten them - that's tuff with a chicken

. They will be afraid to even look in the nestbox, at first.

Moving slowly, move the hen where she can see into the box and then put her inside. Later, do it again - you'll find that they'll take more and more interest in being in there. Some golf balls in their nest will help them get the idea of why they are there.

Then you'll need to teach them to walk up the ladder. Sit them at the top at first and if they've started to take an interest in the nest, they'll move on inside by themselves.

They really DO want to use a nest if it is safe, quiet and comfortable. Your hens will figure out the nest and the ladder but it may take 4 or 5 days.

And, you really need to get those eggs off the ground - bad, bad location for an egg.

Steve

 

[ibpboo]

Sometimes my hens like to lay in the nest box on the ground, and then other times they like to lay in the nest box about 4 feet high. Or even the two foot high nest. They all lay in the same nest. And then one day one will lay in one of the other boxes, and they all switch to that one.

 

[Horsewell]

I had the same problem, except these are ones i got off a friend, they tend to build a nest on the floor instead of using the boxes