What to use for fake eggs?

[eggwhitehens]

My hens are about 15 weeks old. When should I open the nesting box's and what can I use for fake eggs? Can I use the grocery store bought eggs or golf balls? Thanks in advance

 

[Isaac 0]

Golf balls is what i use you can buy fake ceramic eggs at tractor supply have your nesting boxes open all the time

 

[chickens really]

Lots of people say use fake eggs....I have never and the Chickens always know to use the boxes......Fake eggs are really not needed.

Cheers!

 

[KoopOnTruckin]

I wouldn't use store bought eggs, they will spoil fairly quickly. I used golf balls and ping pong balls for a while, the ping pongs got tossed out by the hens within a few days but the golf balls remained for a few weeks before they all figured it out. GOLF BALLS are the cheap and easy way to go!

 

[chickens really]

Lots of people say use fake eggs....I have never and the Chickens always know to use the boxes......Fake eggs are really not needed.

Cheers!

And never use store bought eggs either????? lol!

 

[Gigiannie]

My hens needed a little motivation to use their nest boxes. They usually free-range in our large, fenced back yard, so when they started laying, they found more interesting options in and around our shrubbery and fish pond. Once we discovered a large, hidden nest of eggs, we closed our little sneaks up in their run for a few days, and put some fake eggs in the nests. At the time, the feed store was all out of their fake eggs, so I blew the insides out of a couple of the eggs I had recovered, used a small funnel to fill them with salt, then sealed the holes with a little melted wax. That was over a year ago, and those home-made nest eggs are still out there. I now have a couple of feed-store phonies, and a stone egg out there, as well. By now, they are probably not needed, but I leave them, anyway. I think it doesn't hurt to put out phonie eggs, just as a suggestion to your young ladies. Good luck!

 

[Isaac 0]

If you have a rooster he will show the hens a good safe place to lay eggs but if your nesting boxes doesn't meet the expectation he might not go there

 

[trudyg]

I use my eos lip balm container....

 

[aart]

Fake eggs can help show them where to lay..... they can, really .....especially if you don't have older birds in the flock.

I would not use real eggs, no matter the source.

Golf balls will work just fine......
.....so will roundish rocks, sand filled plastic easter eggs..I read of someone who used a PVC elbow partially buried in nest bedding

 

[LunaChickie]

My husband made a couple out of clay that he baked, but before that we used bright easter eggs and just glued them shut. They're a little light so they tend to get kicked out, but even with my husband's fake eggs out there, they prefer the bright easter egg nests LOL!