Nestbox Training

[CollieCountess]

Hey all, new chicken lady here.

So I have a mixed flock.

4 1 year old hens
9 15 week old hens
2 12 week old hens

My older ladies prefer to free range, and will refuse to lay unless they get to free range.

The older ladies were a gift from a neighbor who let them roam, and I started penning them here. No eggs for two months. I had to turn them loose until i got the run fixed after Beryl, and suddenly I have eggs again. So clearly the older ladies have opinions on their free ranging time.

However, I don't want my egg collecting to turn into an Easter egg hunt, especially once all the younger ladies are ready to lay.

How do I train everyone to lay in the boxes, so I'm not finding eggs all over my property?

 

[saysfaa]

Pen them in and wait. Egg laying isn't voluntary beyond holding an egg in for a very short time - like waiting for a flockmate to get off a favorite nest.

Chickens don't do well with change. A big change like moving can cause them to stop laying for a couple of months.

Other kinds of stress can also stop them from laying. So, you might consider if they are crowded, or competition for resources is intense, or it is super hot, etc.

Generally, 10 square feet of run per bird plus coop space is the minimum that usually is enough for peace in the flock. Some easy-going, docile hens or a groups that just clicks as besties can make less do. Some birds need more.

Two feeders separated so one can't be seen from the other can help when there are problems with resource guarding.

 

[FrostRanger]

I second keeping them penned until they're trained to lay in their nest boxes. How I train my girls to use their nest box is put a few fake eggs in there. When they see the fake eggs they'll think that since there are already eggs here it's safe place for them to lay their eggs