UPDATE - NO LONGER TAUNTNG! They're taunting me!!PICTURES :-)

[newchicksnducks]

Just earlier today I answered someone's question about age of laying/location of lay. I told how my white EE has been laying for 3 weeks, never used the nesting boxes, and how no one else has started to lay. Today I heard "the egg song" and assumed she was laying today's egg. I look in the coop, and she is singing her heart out...on the play roost, looking at the nesting boxes. Inside the boxes are 3 of my other chickens! It's the first time any of the girls have checked out the boxes, even though they have been installed for over a month. The weighted plastic eggs had been tossed out of the boxes. So far, no egg from any of the girls in the past hour, but I'm hoping!!

Also hoping they don't decide to toss the eggs out of the boxes when they are layed I can hardly wait...I'll have to check on the girls again in an hour or so!!

Will they be less likely to toss a real egg? There is a lip on the box, thought that would keep the eggs inside:/

One of the other chickens pecked at the plastic egg on the floor a couple of times...do I have to worry about egg eating? My white EE has been laying on the floor for the past 3 weeks without anyone bothering the egg. Silly birds.

(That's my white EE checking on one of my Dominiques in the box...maybe she'll get the idea where eggs are supposed to be layed!)

 

[b.hromada]

That's too funny! Just look at all those Easter eggs on the ground. Maybe they are getting ready to lay for you? Isn't it funny when one is singing the egg song, but its another one who is doing the laying? Maybe a cheering section perhaps?!

 

[newchicksnducks]

Well, the girls are back outside in the run...all except the white EE. She is back in her corner under the droppings board where she is sitting waiting for her egg. I guess she figured if no one else was going to put an egg in the nesting box, she sure wasn't going to be the first! Ahhh, oh well. I guess it won't be long....someone is sure to give me an egg in the box!

 

[koifarm]

I guess if I was a hen those blue and pink eggs would give me a second thought......just imagine what kind of a hen would lay those?.....I'd just push em on out of there!!! The idea, a pink egg.....oooffff.....how dare they lay one in MY nest box!!!

And whoever heard of a royal blue egg? Must be one of those south american girls.....and you know what they are like!!!!

I use some soapstone eggs, too heavy to bill out.....or fill the plastic ones with sand or something heavy....just gives them a more natural feel/weight.....
Hang in there, they will come around.....

 

[Country Heart]

I've read that golf balls work well as egg stand-ins.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mine move the fake eggs from 1 nest to another. My light brahma is an egg hog. She MUST have all the eggs in HER box.

 

[gsim]

I use golf balls in each of 12 nests. They started to lay for me at 16 weeks. One walked up to me in the yard and dropped the egg at my feet. Two have been dropped while on the roosts and they broke in spite of the heavy litter. It is now 19 weeks and I have had two layers since 17th week. Get two most days now, in nests. I think it is the buff comets as they have a reputation for being early layers. Am getting double yolks at times too.

Did not even have chicken ladder of any kind in coop until two days ago. Mine have always had perches in their box from day one, and they always crowded onto them even when they were tiny. They simply hop up to the lower roost or nest box shelf, either one is 24" off floor. Top roosts are at 48". I do not know if they will even use the ladders now that they have not had one indoors ever. The two pop doors have them tho.

 

[newchicksnducks]

Yeah! One of the Black Australorps went back into the nest box...I saw her there around 4:30pm. At 5:00 I checked, she was outside w/the rest of the hens...and inside the box was a lovely, small egg!

Now, to get the EE to use the boxes and the rest of the girls to jump on the band wagon. I do love having 2 layers now

(FYI - the plastic eggs were weighted with sand...didn't seem to matter, they tossed them anyways! I was hoping that the the power of suggestion - ie blue plastic eggs - would have my EE laying blue eggs - but I get tan from her. Have two more EE I'm waiting on to lay - so there is still hope for a blue/green egg yet!)