Using Nest Boxes

JustOneMore

Songster
9 Years
May 14, 2010
106
1
111
The beautiful Adirondacks, NY
We have 3 Wyandotte ladies and the first laid her first egg on Sunday.
celebrate.gif
We know which hen it was since she delivered it nearly on top of my spouse's foot!

Our nest boxes have been set up since the birds arrived about 3 months ago. In the first couple of weeks with us (when they were still on new-bird-lockdown) we often saw the 3 hens lined up in the nest boxes as if they were sitting in chairs in a beauty parlor. The boxes have clean pine shavings and a golf ball. Since the ladies started venturing out to the yard during the day I have noticed that they don't tend to return to the coop until dusk.

With the first egg (that we are aware of!) presented outside the coop we put the girls back on lockdown. Another egg appeared in the coop yesterday but not in a nest box.

Is there anything else I can do to help her understand that we would really like to have her lay her eggs in the box?

Thank you in advance for any advice!
 
I like to keep a wooden egg in each box at all times. Preferably the color of the eggs your hens lay, brown or white. If you have multiply colored layers one of each. They don't seem to want to lay in a box without that egg. Also a wooden egg just might discourage egg eating as they may get a jolt when they peck at it.

Congrats on your first egg.

Rancher
 

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