10 tips to train your hen to lay eggs in her nest box

Are you pissed at your cute chubby hens because of their annoying habits? Relax, that is normal for the poultry dwellers. My 10 years experience has lead me to  conclude, you may not agree with it but my opinion remains the same – hens love laying eggs everywhere except for the place where they should. When I bought hens for the first time, I went mad almost – they use to lay eggs all over the farm but not their next boxes. It was bothering because most of the eggs used to get wasted as I was not able to locate them or other animals used to break eggs.

Are you going through the phase when the hen laid eggs in the garden, trees, hay bales but not their boxes? You cannot do anything about it other than training them. Don’t lose hope because chickens have a very annoying habit of sticking to what I being restricted – I shall share my experience of training my fellows, you can take perks from the foolproof tips through which you can easily obtain fresh and clean eggs;

1: Place nest boxes in quantity:

You must have at least 4 to 5 boxes for a flock of 20 hens – in this way hens would feel comfortable laying eggs in the boxes because of ease. This would also help you in collecting eggs easily.

2: Alluring nest boxes:

The nesting boxes must have something that the hen would not to eat or maybe play with.

3: Placement of the box:

Always keep the boxes in the areas of the coop that are dark – hens adore peaceful and dark places and would happily lay eggs in the boxes.

4: Create a scenario – play with them:

You can use golf ball or ceramic eggs and design a scenario to create an impact on the hen’s mind that the right place for the egg is the next box.

5: Limit their movement:

You must know the time when your hens lay eggs usually – for example, if it is the mid morning time, you can close the coop door. In this way, hens would have no option other than laying eggs in the nest boxes.

6: Make the boxes cozy and comfortable:

You must have a clean and fluffy nest box so that he feels cozy in it – untidy and boxes with depleted shavings (floorings) are disliked so hens lay eggs in other locations.

7: keep the boxes free:

Once the chicken is done with laying eggs in the box, make sure you clean it and leave it for another hen.

8: Notice the hen behavior:

Make sure you guard the hens in the morning, if they are trying to escape from the eyes or searching for darker location, send her to the coop where the clean box is placed.

9: Timings:

You can place food and water bowls near the boxes – the hens would eat and play, and before that lay the egg in the safe secure area, which would be nest only.

10: Keep the nest box a few inches above the ground because hens like it that way – make sure you place fresh flooring each morning so that it motivates the hen to carry on with the behavior.