Some chickens laying in nest box, some in just the coop?????

[gringold]

Hello, I did a search first to see if there was any advice about this, but nothing quite fit. I have five hens, three Australorps and two Wyandottes. They have been laying well for about two months very regularly. At first they lay in the corners of the coop. I kept looking in my nest box and one day realized there were six eggs in the far corner. I tried putting an egg in the nest box and they rolled it back to the corner. I filled the corners with a bucket, and bricks and they would lay there for several days and then all of a sudden there would be one in the coop. One time it was right in front of the nest boxes. I moved a brick there. They have been laying again in the nest boxes for a week now, but today the one egg I got was next to the bucket in the corner. They do lay in both nest boxes. There were three in one of the boxes yesterday. I put shavings in the boxes. I have not tried straw. Any suggestions?

 

[gregg3]

Without seeing the coop, I would think just try to make the nest boxes as soft and dark as possible. Mine are painted black, with 6" of pine flake shavings. Last thought would be maybe the nest boxes are too small?

Can you give us an idea of size, height off the ground, nesting materials, color, etc? A picture would be great!

 

[gringold]

This is the nest box, but now it has a divider in the middle. They are 12x12 in boxes. There are two of them. The golfballs are in the middle of what is now two boxes. That is a 1 in lip on the front in the bottom and top.

This is the inside before I added the nest box. My water and feed buckets now hang in front of the back doors from the ceiling. This opening the picture is being taken from is now closed with a small automatic door.

This is another view of the nest boxes. That corner is one they have used and right in front where they now divide in two is another. The other corner next to the door is the other place of choice. They have never used the two corners that are near the waterer and feeder.

 

[gregg3]

I'm going into only my second full season of raising chickens, so I'm by no means an expert. However, to me, the nest boxes seem lower than the coop nesting material and also have less nesting material. Perhaps you could try raising them using a 1x6 to contain the nesting material, removing the roost bar above the boxes.

 

[gringold]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[daxigait]

I am having a similar problem. New coop and boxes. Some are using the boxes and some use the ne corner at the base of the ladder. That corner faces the big window so I put the boxes on two concrete blocks against the west wall so they would not face the window. I am not sure why they are using the corner or how to fix it. Boxes are 12x13and 12x14. I have a picture from when I was still building. They have been in the coop a week.

 

[daxigait]

the corner is at the base of the ladder.

 

[aart]

This is the nest box, but now it has a divider in the middle. They are 12x12 in boxes. There are two of them. The golfballs are in the middle of what is now two boxes. That is a 1 in lip on the front in the bottom and top.

This is the inside before I added the nest box. My water and feed buckets now hang in front of the back doors from the ceiling. This opening the picture is being taken from is now closed with a small automatic door.

This is another view of the nest boxes. That corner is one they have used and right in front where they now divide in two is another. The other corner next to the door is the other place of choice. They have never used the two corners that are near the waterer and feeder.

I think the problem might be that the nests look no different than the floor of the coop.
I'd put a front on the nest bank with a couple or three 10" diameter holes (you could probably make 3 nests out of that length).
Or at least put a piece of wood along the bottom about 4-6" high.
Might try using straw for the bedding too, to differentiate nest from floor.

 

[daxigait]

Not to hyjack the tread, but as I have the same issue, what about mine? Green ones behind the tools and grey on left. I added a bar in front of the low ones too.

 

[daxigait]

@gringolddid it help? Sorry to jump in. I am glad you asked because four of mine did it yesterday again.