When your hen first started laying eggs, did she lay them inside the nesting box? A friend of mine has hens and hers never lays eggs in the nesting box. How do they know they’re supposed to lay eggs there?
You are talking about living animals and their behaviors. No one can give you guarantees but occasionally we can influence them. As you an already see in this thread about anything can happen. Some people build nests to be dark and private, maybe even using a curtain for more privacy. Then you see them using something like Featherstone's above. We may think we know what they want but their bird brains don't always process logic the same way ours do. Dad used open top nests, no darkness and little privacy. I prefer more closed in nests but hens use both types.
In my opinion the best thing you you can do is have the nests open and ready for them a week or more before they start to lay. Since you don't know when they will start I like to aim for earlier than 16 weeks of age. That's the earliest any of mine ever started to lay. Sometimes pullets will search out a good nesting site before they start to lay, a rooster may even help them look. Some pullets have no control over when that first egg will pop out, but many do. The ones that have control usually have an idea of where they want to lay before they start.
I'm a firm believer that fake eggs help. I use golf balls but ceramic or wooden eggs are great. Some people use those plastic Easter eggs but they need to be glued together, the pullets' or hens' scratching will open them up.
Also, I’ve heard that crushing up egg shells as calcium is a simple way of making calcium other than getting oyster shells. Does anyone do that?
There is a lot of discussion on supplemental calcium. If all you feed them is Layer it should have enough calcium in it for the egg shells without any supplemental. If you feed them low calcium treats or they forage for a fair amount of their feed they may need more calcium. They can get some calcium from certain plants they eat, from certain creepy crawlies if they get lucky enough to catch one, or if you are in limestone country from the rocks they eat for grit. We are all so unique that their s no simple clear answer for everyone. Another issue is that every bit of calcium they eat is not absorbed by the body, a certain amount goes straight through and out the rear end. Also, they need some calcium for general body maintenance, not all goes to the egg shells. If they are not getting enough calcium from other sources just feeding them their egg shells can be a losing proposition. If they are getting enough calcium from other sources they may ignore the egg shells you offer. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with offering them egg shells, but don't be disappointed or surprised if they ignore them.
Let your eggs tell you if they are getting enough calcium or not from whatever sources. If the egg shells are hard and thick they are getting enough from somewhere. If they are thin or soft they need more calcium.
You are talking about living animals and their behaviors. No one can give you guarantees but occasionally we can influence them. As you an already see in this thread about anything can happen. Some people build nests to be dark and private, maybe even using a curtain for more privacy. Then you see them using something like Featherstone's above. We may think we know what they want but their bird brains don't always process logic the same way ours do. Dad used open top nests, no darkness and little privacy. I prefer more closed in nests but hens use both types.
In my opinion the best thing you you can do is have the nests open and ready for them a week or more before they start to lay. Since you don't know when they will start I like to aim for earlier than 16 weeks of age. That's the earliest any of mine ever started to lay. Sometimes pullets will search out a good nesting site before they start to lay, a rooster may even help them look. Some pullets have no control over when that first egg will pop out, but many do. The ones that have control usually have an idea of where they want to lay before they start.
I'm a firm believer that fake eggs help. I use golf balls but ceramic or wooden eggs are great. Some people use those plastic Easter eggs but they need to be glued together, the pullets' or hens' scratching will open them up.
Also, I’ve heard that crushing up egg shells as calcium is a simple way of making calcium other than getting oyster shells. Does anyone do that?
There is a lot of discussion on supplemental calcium. If all you feed them is Layer it should have enough calcium in it for the egg shells without any supplemental. If you feed them low calcium treats or they forage for a fair amount of their feed they may need more calcium. They can get some calcium from certain plants they eat, from certain creepy crawlies if they get lucky enough to catch one, or if you are in limestone country from the rocks they eat for grit. We are all so unique that their s no simple clear answer for everyone. Another issue is that every bit of calcium they eat is not absorbed by the body, a certain amount goes straight through and out the rear end. Also, they need some calcium for general body maintenance, not all goes to the egg shells. If they are not getting enough calcium from other sources just feeding them their egg shells can be a losing proposition. If they are getting enough calcium from other sources they may ignore the egg shells you offer. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with offering them egg shells, but don't be disappointed or surprised if they ignore them.
Let your eggs tell you if they are getting enough calcium or not from whatever sources. If the egg shells are hard and thick they are getting enough from somewhere. If they are thin or soft they need more calcium.
