lyleg5895
Chirping
So aside from homesteading I'm also a woodworker. Earlier this year we were tractoring our flock and having trouble getting the girls to lay in the nesting boxes. They'd always want to lay on the ground wherever they stood and it was a real pain to gather eggs. I did some reading and found out about using fake eggs to entice them into the box so I ordered a couple from Amazon. This was during the start of the covid crisis and so shipping times were severely delayed. After a few weeks I got tired of waiting and took matters into my own hands. That's where woodworking comes in. I turned a few fake eggs on the lathe in around 15-20 minutes using just some hardwood scraps (ash for white eggs and cherry for brown) I had lying around and they worked marvelously. We've since lost those eggs but they served their purpose and got our girls laying in the boxes. Fast forward to now, we've expanded the coop and I put new boxes in that are removable so that our pullets don't roost in them. Of course the girls wanted nothing to do with their new boxes (our flock is finicky like that) so I made a couple more eggs. This time out of some pine I had. If you have a lathe or know someone who does, this is a great and inexpensive option to get your ladies laying where they should. They only take a few minutes each to make and just about any scrap wood will do. Plus it's a great bit of practice for new turners. Hope this helps!
P.S. Fake eggs are also a good way to break egg pecking habits.
P.S. Fake eggs are also a good way to break egg pecking habits.
