So many nest boxes...only ONE is the right one!

[FirewifeJess]

Oh, chicken minds! Probably I would lock the broody in the rabbit hutch and have the others lay elsewhere.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. I will wait until someone goes broody and take that as my opportunity to get everyone else laying where I want them to. It might be a long wait but at least it will be happening for natural reasons instead of my own. Yeah...chicken minds. They're crazy!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

All of the nest boxes including the favorite have straw in them. They are literally all exactly the same, but they'll only use the one in the run, and none of the ones in the coop. I would prefer them to lay in the custom nest boxes of course! LOL

Would it be too mean to put a feeder and waterer in the coop (usually in the run) in lock them in it for a few days just during their peak laying times? It's only 35s/f plus nest boxes and I have 11 chickens. Perfect for sleeping but not necessarily great for being cooped up!

This would not be mean at all. They'll do just fine.

As a matter of course we lock all the hens up in the hen house when we add new pullets near lay, or any new bird. We lock them in for a week, and then watch to see that they're all going to bed and laying in the right place. If not, locked back up for another week.

We have 10 nest boxes, and they only really lay in two of them with one egg or so in the others. In fact, right now we have 4 of the boxes blocked off since no one was using them.