Wont lay in nesting boxes

[MRSMONTEIRO]

Hello! 3 of my 7 girls have started to lay (yay!!) However, they will not use their nesting boxes. We have used fake eggs, real eggs and they just don't care for them. They are 18 inches up, all enclosed but the front and very fluffy inside. What else can we do?? We have watched them to try and see what they do before they lay, but they will just do it whenever. Today during eating and drinking, no squatting just pass the egg and keep about their business. Am I missing something? Thanks for any input!

 

[Nomadicus]

Hello! 3 of my 7 girls have started to lay (yay!!) However, they will not use their nesting boxes. We have used fake eggs, real eggs and they just don't care for them. They are 18 inches up, all enclosed but the front and very fluffy inside. What else can we do?? We have watched them to try and see what they do before they lay, but they will just do it whenever. Today during eating and drinking, no squatting just pass the egg and keep about their business. Am I missing something? Thanks for any input!

Is it a darker area where they lay than where the nest boxes are? I have a few hens that just don't appreciate the finer things in a hens life.

 

[MRSMONTEIRO]

Is it a darker area where they lay than where the nest boxes are? I have a few hens that just don't appreciate the finer things in a hens life.

Inside the nesting boxes are darker, we added sides to give them more privacy hoping that would help but no dice. They lay wherever they are walking in the coop, it's like a drop and go.

 

[Nomadicus]

Inside the nesting boxes are darker, we added sides to give them more privacy hoping that would help but no dice. They lay wherever they are walking in the coop, it's like a drop and go.

I'm using a community style nesting box with some vinyl shades hanging on the front and most hens do fine with it. They just pile in and lay hen to hen. The shades cloths in the fronts are red and maybe that is a help. I've bought to red vinyl from a hobby store and hope that it will help on a box I'm going to build for the next coop when those girls start to lay.

 

[RojoMarz]

Sounds like new layers and they don't have full control over the egg laying process yet. As they get more experience, hopefully they will find and use the nest boxes.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Hello! 3 of my 7 girls have started to lay (yay!!) However, they will not use their nesting boxes. We have used fake eggs, real eggs and they just don't care for them. They are 18 inches up, all enclosed but the front and very fluffy inside. What else can we do?? We have watched them to try and see what they do before they lay, but they will just do it whenever. Today during eating and drinking, no squatting just pass the egg and keep about their business. Am I missing something? Thanks for any input!

Congratulations on the new layers!

Chickens need time to figure out what spot they prefer to lay in. I think it will be about a week, maybe two, before they begin to pick a favorite spot. Right now they might just do it randomly because they are new at this and need to figure out what area they like more.

The best thing you can do is show them its a good spot, by insuring its dark, (sometimes adding a egg in there helps a lot! It helps mine) i like to make a fake nest in there, a little indent to the bedding and plop a egg in there. They assume its been laid in and now think its a safe spot to lay. Usually the rest will follow.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Since the nest boxes are above floor level, has there been any evidence of the birds visiting them, playing in them, sitting in them, etc?

They might not actually realize they're there...

 

[aart]

Since the nest boxes are above floor level, has there been any evidence of the birds visiting them, playing in them, sitting in them, etc?

They might not actually realize they're there...

This^^^
Is there a perch in front of the nests?
Pics of said nests would help here.

 

[MRSMONTEIRO]

Since the nest boxes are above floor level, has there been any evidence of the birds visiting them, playing in them, sitting in them, etc?

They might not actually realize they're there...

I honestly hadn't thought of that... they have pecked at the hay in there a bit but ive never seen one of them actually in it. I will try to put one in there and see what happens.

 

[MRSMONTEIRO]

This^^^
Is there a perch in front of the nests?
Pics of said nests would help here.

The perch in on the other side of the coop. I'll grab a picture when I get out there! Thanks