Will the hens lay in the nests I made?

[joebryant]

Wednesday my three hens and rooster will be 25 weeks old and should start laying soon. Do hens normally use the nests provided if it's their first egg for all the hens in the coop? What can be done to encourage their using the nests and not the coop floor or the run or the yard? My nests have indoor/outdoor carpeting in them; they also have a white, wooden egg in each of them.

 

[bubbazmommy]

If you are lucky.

It sounds like you have done everything you can to encourage them. My girls seem to scratch around in the shavings until they get them all the way they want them.

 

[CarriBrown]

I think the wooden eggs should work. I used golf balls and they seemed to get the message. Some lay on the floor instead of in the nests, but I figure as long as I don't have to tromp through their run, I'm happy!

 

[ILoveJoe]

Indoor outdoor carpeting! How posh. Those are some lucky cluckers.

25 weeks! Mine are only 19 weeks and I am ANXIOUSLY waiting for that first egg. You must be going nuts.

 

[cmom]

I used golf balls. Mine have always layed in the nest boxes. Also I painted the inside of my nest boxes a dark color.

 

[Poultra]

Maybe. Mine wouldn't use the nest boxes (they preferred the corners of the coop) until I caught one of them just about to lay and stuffed her in one of the boxes. I had to hold an empty feed bag over the opening to keep her there until she settled and laid the egg. All but one of the others have caught on that the boxes are better than the floor by watching her.

 

[chickenbike]

Quote:
One of my girls laid her first egg yesterday. She laid another today, but both times she laid the eggs just outside of the nest box. I have the Forsharm Ark design like this:

http://www.forshamcottagearks.com/poultry-housing/boughton902a-poultry-ark.htm


So the nest box is at one end in the ark area, therefore it is the same height as the sleep area. There are wooden eggs in the nest and none of the chickens have ever slept in the nest. I did get her to go in the nest area a couple of times just before she laid today, but she didn't stay in. Instead she settled right outside the entrance.

I may have to try blocking her in tomorrow as you mentioned doing. I hope she'll decide to use the nest. There's no chicken poop in the ark itself because I clean out every poop each morning so at least the eggs don't get dirty.

 

[Grindlefamily]

I feel very lucky - whichever hen has laid their first egg (7 babies but only 1 laying so far) and the 3 eggs that followed - were all in the nest box where they were supposed to be!

 

[MissPrissy]

You have to teach them everything you want them to do - even laying in your boxes.

 

[Katy]

I wonder if they'll like the carpeting very well. I use either shavings. hay or straw in my nests and the girls like arranging and wallowing out a nest in the nest box.