Trying to get my hens laying earlier in the day

[Gypsy07]

Quote:
LMAO! That's just too funny! Hopefully that's something that mine will learn then.

And I'm lifting their eggs from the floor and putting them in the nest boxes for a day or so to see if that'll give them the right idea. It's down near freezing here just now so I can leave the eggs in the nesting boxes for a couple of days after laying before I take them away and eat them. I'll report back on progress in a few weeks...

 

[newchicksnducks]

Having your girls cooped up for a week or so with no outdoor access will help them learn that the coop is the safe place to lay eggs. I only had one who used the floor of the coop to lay her eggs, but once the others started laying and using the nest boxes, she joined them in 2 days in using the boxes. I have never had any of the use the run or fields/woods when free ranging (lucky I guess). I did use the artificial eggs in the nest box idea...apparently worked with most of my layers...They decided that the plastic eggs just weren't good enough and kicked them all out before laying their first eggs in the box! But as long as they USED the box, I didn't care. LOL Here's a picture of what happened to my weighted plastic Easter eggs...

The white butt you see was my floor layer....when she saw what the other girls were doing, she decided the boxes WERE a nice, safe place to lay her eggs!

Good Luck!

 

[zoomia]

Mine are all laying in the nesting boxes now too after I stopped letting them free range. Now, I can let them out for a few hours and they will return to the nesting boxes. I use plastic eggs. Some of mine scratch them out of the nesting boxes too--but I leave them in because some also like to beak them under themselves while they're laying.

 

[Gypsy07]

Latest report: Well I'm making some progress here. One day I got SIX eggs before 11am and every one in the nesting boxes. The next day though I had two dropped on the floor and three laid outside in the straw shed again. But we seem to be on the right track. I really don't like keeping them shut in all day, they look awfully fed up if they're in till even midday. I do mean to keep them in but then I see them all running towards the door when I walk past and I crack and let them out...

 

[tdgill]

sounds like me...

its a good day when everyone has laid by the time I go out to see them. Otherwise I cave and let them out anyway, and one set has access to the coop while the other set is in the "tractor" I have to keep checking or hang out doing yardwork looking for the anxious chicken who is trying to get to the coop to lay. Soon I hope to have my runs set up so both flocks have all day access to the coop. THAT will be awesome!

 

[dancingbear]

Most hens, once they get the idea of using the nest boxes to lay, will return to the nest to lay eggs, even if they free range. BUT, it's not unusual, especially if you have broody types, for them to suddenly get a wild hair and start laying out in the bushes or some weird place you'll never find.

When mine do that, I leave them in for a day or two. I usually don't open up the coop until about noonish anyway and that seems to help a lot. They tend to lay where there are already eggs, so by noon, they've all seen eggs in the nests.

Going in after dark, and one by one sticking the birds on the roosts will work too, it just takes time and patience. After about a week you'll have fewer and fewer hend to pick up, some will already be up on the perches.

BTW, if you don't have any fake eggs, you can hard-boil a few, mark them with a sharpy so you know which they are, and leave those in the nests for "seed eggs". You could leave those a couple weeks in cool weather, maybe a week if it's warm, less if it's hot, before you'd have to toss them. Craft supply shops often have wooden or ceramic eggs.

 

[tdgill]

i used golf balls....

 

[gryeyes]

I have used a golf ball, but apparently one of my newest layers isn't impressed with it. So, last night I filled up plastic Easter eggs with sand and glued them shut. I wanted eggs that are NOT anywhere near the same colors as eggs I hope to gather (so I couldn't use the light green plastic pair) to prevent any excitement on my part at seeing an egg, only to discover it was one of the faux models.

I already know the golf ball can be moved around by chickens, which simply amazes me. So it wouldn't surprise me to find the faux eggs in various nest boxes on different days. That COULD fool me if I haven't had my coffee yet. Hence the colored Easter eggs.

 

[tdgill]

I wanted eggs that are NOT anywhere near the same colors as eggs I hope to gather (so I couldn't use the light green plastic pair) to prevent any excitement on my part at seeing an egg, only to discover it was one of the faux models.