I have had 10 chickens since April. The coop has 6 nesting boxes but they only use one. Lately I have found 3 of them squished into one box at the same time! I tried using the dummy eggs in the other boxes to encourage the hens but it hasn't work. Does anyone have any suggestions?
You might consider one of the following options. On days where you have a bit of extra time, move a hen to another nest boxe before she lays to ensure their egg is layed in one of those other boxes. You will likely need to hold your hand over the entrance to the box to prevent your hen from leaving. Do this a few times with the same birds and hopefully they will gradually become comfortable using other nest boxes. Alternatively, you may wish to darken the other nest boxes to make them seem more appealing. You could paint the interior with a dark paint that is of a complementary color to your coop. This will also help to seal any cracks in the wood if your nest boxes are wood. Insects like to "hand out" in cracks and you would be removing this opportunity. Also you could partially cover the front of the other nest boxes with fabric to darken the interior. In any case, you may need to be dilligent about convincing your hens early on that other nest boxes are an option. Just a thought, is there a draft in any of the other nest boxes. That may be a reason why they prefer to lay in just the 1 box. Good luck! -Dr. McCrea Small Flock Poutlry Specialist Delaware State University
nesting boxes
Posted - 09/09/2009 : 9:04:49 PM
