wont lay in the nest

[midget_farms]

I built a new coop a few months back. 8x10 - much larger - tons of space. I have 4 nesting boxes that are on one wall. I also have about 12 inches of shavings on the floor.

My hens refuse to lay in the nests. They settle in right next to them or in other corners of the coop. My real issue is by the end of the day when I collect the eggs - they are buried. I often miss an egg or two & I'm afraid there may be many more lurking somewhere under the shavings.

How can I encourage them to use the nests (18 x 12) & not the floor?

 

[bethandjoeync]

try using plastic gold balls to show them that the nest is a safe place to lay. we started out putting 3 in each nest then put the girls in the nest so they saw them, and the problem was solved soon after. you can also use painted rocks or ceramic or wooden eggs. whatever you think resembles an egg, and they will treat it as such. good luck!

 

[Wynette]

golf balls didn't work for my chooks - instead, I bought some wooden eggs from the craft shop. These worked better for me. It did take a week or so, though!