should I put fake eggs in nesting boxes???

[chickfamilyonsleepyhollow]

We are newbies and can't wait til our hens start laying!!! Our six red sexlinks are 16 weeks old and we're hoping to see

soon. They free range for 2 hours in the afternoon (otherwise we'd have no veggies in our garden) and I'm worried that they might lay the eggs somewhere in the yard - is that possible??? I was wondering if anyone puts wooden eggs in nesting boxes --- I was told that it encourages them to us the nesting boxes. Thanks!!!

 

[gryeyes]

Yup. I keep golf balls in the nest boxes all the time. I have laying hens and pullets and some getting ready to lay.

 

[jennh]

Hi! I put plastic eggs in my nestboxes. You know the kind they fill for Easter. I let my girls out in the morning, and you should see them running back to the coop when it's time to lay their eggs. Funniest thing!
I didn't always let them out in the morning, though. I waited until they were laying in their boxes steadily, and it became a "habit". Once they realize that's where to lay their eggs, they will come back to lay there. If they see an egg in there already it's like "oh, there's a great place to lay my egg!"

My experience,
Jen

 

[FarmGirl01]

Use golf balls here.

 

[pgpoultry]

Well, I have rubber eggs, they are great as they can be washed and their size, weight etc. is such that my husband has been fooled and placed rubber eggs in egg boxes for eating! (Easier to fool????),

sandie

 

[jason736]

My red sexlinks started laying at 16 weeks. We use wood eggs that we found at a craft store and they seem to help. I put them in a couple days before they started.

 

[gallinamama]

Thank you all , this post really helped me too! Mine are almost 16 weeks, and I didn't know they could lay that early.

I am not quite finished with the coop... I still need insulation, and the nesting boxes my son in law made me are wrong.. I have them in but they do not have tops on them.. I just have some woodshavings in them right now until he makes me some new ones... he is making them 15 x 15... but I have to get cracken now..... shoot if they begin laying now I am really messed up

 

[bakerjw]

My girls started laying one day and I was unprepared. I got them some nest boxes and some eggs that look so close in color to their eggs that I have to tap them on something to make sure that they're the fake ones. The girls will kick them out sometimes and put them in their makeshift nests.

 

[JetBlack]

Only put in fake eggs if you don't mind being able to find your real eggs, really easily. I think it's more fun to hit an egg, that has been hiding in the tall grass, in 90 degree heat and has gone bad, with the lawn mower. You won't forget that fun time. Neither will your neighbors for blocks and blocks away. People you have never met will know your name.

It's almost like being famous, only without people always asking for autographs.

 

[tedabug]

I just found a pile of eggs back under the bushes where a long forgotten whiffle ball had landed. Apparently, it looked enough like a giant egg for my EE and she laid her green eggs all around it. Sheesh!