When to remove fake eggs from nest boxes

[aart]

I leave one fakie in each of my 4 nests, helps 'spread the love' when all are laying.
Used a fat sharpie to draw a ring around the fakes.

 

[KarynVA]

Okay, so here's what happened. I had taken the fake eggs out yesterday evening. This morning, all 3 laid their eggs on schedule (no change in willingness to lay). But all 3 eggs were in the same nest box. The most I've seen before in the same box was 2 eggs; typically, they all use all the boxes (no favorite box used by the same hen every time, they all use all of them.)

So, that change in their laying behavior could be nothing/ coincidental. Or, it could be that they really do look for an egg in the box in order to feel comfortable laying. So I decided to put all the fake eggs back. It's no trouble leaving them in and as many have said on this thread, it is often done that way.

 

[aart]

Okay, so here's what happened. I had taken the fake eggs out yesterday evening. This morning, all 3 laid their eggs on schedule (no change in willingness to lay). But all 3 eggs were in the same nest box. The most I've seen before in the same box was 2 eggs; typically, they all use all the boxes (no favorite box used by the same hen every time, they all use all of them.)

So, that change in their laying behavior could be nothing/ coincidental. Or, it could be that they really do look for an egg in the box in order to feel comfortable laying. So I decided to put all the fake eggs back. It's no trouble leaving them in and as many have said on this thread, it is often done that way.

What I've found is that the nest where the first egg of the day is laid will become the nest dujour. Fun to observe the habits, but nothing to worry about.

 

[drinkoj]

I removed them once mine started kicking them out of the nesting boxes to lay their actual eggs I think they know that they’re fake.

My laying girls kicked the golf balls out of the nesting yesterday and we didn't understand why. So this makes sense. Found 1 golf ball but the flock must have buried the other 3 I had, because we couldn't find them sitting in the coop bedding last night.

 

[Mya05]

I have one that lays in the nesting boxes; always the same box. The others lay in my shed, and between some tires that are propped up against the outside of the shed. They stick to the same nests each time, so I'm not worried about them laying outside of the nesting boxes. My feather foot just started laying today, and she did a drive by She squatted mid stride, popped out an egg, and kept moving! I keep fake eggs in all the nesting sites, because I have noticed them checking the nests after I've been in the yard. Ruth, the one that lays in the nesting box, will kick the fake out of the box, and down the ramp that leads to the roosts. I have even found the fakes across the yard I will probably take out the egg in her box; she seems to really not like it! The rest will stay so I know where to find their eggs. As for our feather foot, Queenie, I will have to figure out how to get her into a nest!

 

[Sueby]

I leave the fake eggs in all the time. I went away for a couple days & decided to take the fake eggs out of the one 'magic' nest box that every single chicken uses every single day so it wouldn't get overcrowded, I didn't want to come home to broken eggs. Sure enough, they laid in the non magical box that still had fake eggs in it. They've never laid in that box before & haven't since. Chickens are weird.

 

[Mark Whatley]

So, how soon after a real egg is laid do you take it from the nest box? Is it upsetting to the hen to return to the nest to find her egg(s) gone?

 

[KarynVA]

I take the eggs within 20-30 minutes of them laying, every day. They don't seem upset. They go on about their chickeny business undisturbed.

I think, in part, because they've seen the fake eggs for a week or so before they ever laid an egg, the eggs seem like just another piece of 'furniture' in the coop to them.

 

[3KillerBs]

So, how soon after a real egg is laid do you take it from the nest box? Is it upsetting to the hen to return to the nest to find her egg(s) gone?

Hens don't become emotionally attached to their eggs. You can remove the egg as soon as the hen is out of the box she won't suffer from not seeing it there later.

I never removed the golf-balls from the nest with my in-town flock. With the new flock I would take them out if I was letting a broody attempt to hatch, but there's no other reason to take them out. In fact, I'm using the same golf-balls, that were still in the nest several years after the in-town flock was gone.

A solid broody will defend any egg-like object in her chosen nest, but they don't recognize their own, specific eggs.

 

[LaFleche]

I only take the fake eggs out to clean and sanitize them twice a month. In each coop I leave one nest without, as there will be always one hen that wants a vacant nest box.