Will the hens lay in the nests I made?

[chickenbike]

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That's my plan tomorrow!

 

[gritsar]

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I was wondering the same thing. I use hay in my boxes and they make nice little nests out of it. I have one girl that always covers her egg with hay right before she gets out of the nest.
Mine were on lock down in their coop at the time they started laying, so I guess using the nest boxes came natural to them. Never found an egg anywhere else. I did have one girl that was very upset about having to use the nest boxes, but that's because she had started laying before they were moved to the coop. She was used to laying in a canvas chair on the screened porch. When that was no longer an option for her she used the nest boxes.

 

[WriterofWords]

Nope they won't,,, not unless you go out there and tell them very firmly that they are NOT allowed in those beautiful boxes and you do not want them in there getting chicken doo doo all over. Let them know you have absolutely no intention of letting some messy hen in there to screw things up with wet yucky eggs.

Then stand back because the reverse psychology will have them running over you to get into those nest boxes!

 

[Chicken Woman]

All of mine seem to want to lay in the same box even thogh i have 8 boxes !!! GRRRRR
Sometimes one will get into lay and root around until she has tossed one of the other eggs out on the floor. GRRRR

I don't let my hen free range until the afternoon so they don't lay in the yard somewhere. They go in and out of coop to the run but not in yard.

I have golf balls in boxes and now they are using 2 of the boxes.