Will chickens lay eggs in a nesting box that isnt in their coop?

[DarkAngel77]

I know this is a bit of an odd question. I'm just wondering if chickens will lay eggs in a nesting box that is not inside their coop?


Long story short, when we built our coop we didn't add nesting boxes and were just going to add/build them on closer to when they would be needed. Well time and weather has prevented us to being able to start them. Now a couple of our chickens is showing signs of being close to laying. We have a small shed that we are going to convert to a coop as a back up incase we need to separate anyone. It would just be so much easier and honestly a better option, to add the nesting boxes inside of the shed.

So I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar set up or has had laying boxes not inside or connected to the coop and their chickens still used them, is this even possible?

 

[Barnette]

I know this is a bit of an odd question. I'm just wondering if chickens will lay eggs in a nesting box that is not inside their coop?


Long story short, when we built our coop we didn't add nesting boxes and were just going to add/build them on closer to when they would be needed. Well time and weather has prevented us to being able to start them. Now a couple of our chickens is showing signs of being close to laying. We have a small shed that we are going to convert to a coop as a back up incase we need to separate anyone. It would just be so much easier and honestly a better option, to add the nesting boxes inside of the shed.

So I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar set up or has had laying boxes not inside or connected to the coop and their chickens still used them, is this even possible?

If they have to lay, they will do it in any safe spot. They kind-of have to be trained to lay in laying boxes, which should be done at a young age. But I think it should be okay if you put them in the shed, it just might be stressful for them to make the move to their permanent coop later.

 

[DarkAngel77]

If they have to lay, they will do it in any safe spot. They kind-of have to be trained to lay in laying boxes, which should be done at a young age. But I think it should be okay if you put them in the shed, it just might be stressful for them to make the move to their permanent coop later.

Well I'm still wanting them to continue sleeping in their current coop and just have the shed as a laying area, and in case I need to separate someone from the rest of the flock.

I've been trying to make sure they are familiar with the shed, I keep it open during the day for them to go in and explore, they do like to go in it and take a nap during the day. They seem to be comfortable with the shed.

 

[WoDia]

From my own experience, hens always choose spots to lay where they feel most comfortable, safe, and away from the chicken traffic… not necessarily even in a nest box. When I was able to free range mine years ago, I’d find nests in the barn. To this day, a lot of my hens prefer a particular spot on the floor of their building beneath the 2 rows of nesting boxes. Yes, yours may actually prefer to use those nesting boxes, since they’re located in a quiet area away from the chicken traffic.

 

[sourland]

Provide a secluded nesting box, and they will very likely use it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Well I'm still wanting them to continue sleeping in their current coop and just have the shed as a laying area, and in case I need to separate someone from the rest of the flock.

This could be a problem. If you lock a hen in there how do the rest get to the nests if that is where they lay?

I've been trying to make sure they are familiar with the shed, I keep it open during the day for them to go in and explore, they do like to go in it and take a nap during the day. They seem to be comfortable with the shed.

They are going to lay where they want to lay. That could be in a nest box in the coop where they sleep. It might be in the coop where they sleep but not in a nest box. It could be in another outbuilding, in a fencerow, under a bush, or in a pile of trash. Some of mine were fond of a barn loft.

Often they look for a safe place to lay a week or so before they actually start laying. If you think they are getting close don't waste time, get some nests installed.

To try to encourage them to select those nests I suggest you put a fake egg in them. I don't like to use real eggs. Real eggs can attract predators, go rotten, or break. I use gold balls. Some people use ceramic or wooden eggs you can usually buy at a crafts store. Some of those craft eggs look so real you might want to use a permanent marker to put a spot on them.

Just leave one in a nest where you want them to lay. I can't guarantee anything will work but I think this will improve your odds.

Good Luck!

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

I know this is a bit of an odd question. I'm just wondering if chickens will lay eggs in a nesting box that is not inside their coop?


Long story short, when we built our coop we didn't add nesting boxes and were just going to add/build them on closer to when they would be needed. Well time and weather has prevented us to being able to start them. Now a couple of our chickens is showing signs of being close to laying. We have a small shed that we are going to convert to a coop as a back up incase we need to separate anyone. It would just be so much easier and honestly a better option, to add the nesting boxes inside of the shed.

So I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar set up or has had laying boxes not inside or connected to the coop and their chickens still used them, is this even possible?

dude, I've got tons of nest boxes, and my birds still lay in a cat bed on the back porch.