My Chickens Stopped Laying in Their Nesting Boxes

Karla

5 years ago

Help! My Chickens Stopped Laying in Their Nesting Boxes. I’m sharing with you lots of tips to overcome this often encountered problem. Over the years I’ve come across this issue a few times. Sometimes it is a struggle to understand why my chickens are behaving this way. Everything seems fine to me, but my chickens seem unhappy with their nesting boxes.

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With some experience and lots of research, I’m going to share with you my tips for your problem. Soon, you will have happy chickens willing to lay eggs in their nesting boxes.

You are letting your chickens out too early to free-range.

I actually figured this one out because of a few hens that loved to escape early in the morning. Once we fixed that problem, they started laying in the nesting boxes.

Your chickens do not like the material In their nesting boxes.

It takes a hen almost an hour to lay an egg. Not only do they need quiet and their own space, but they also like it to be comfortable. Give them a good amount of bedding for their nesting boxes. Make their nesting area clean and soft.

I usually use shavings for my nesting boxes. In the summer I add fresh herbs, like mint, to help freshen up the whole coop. You can also purchase herbs for their nesting boxes. I love these herbs you can purchase on Amazon.

They don’t like the material the nesting boxes are made of.

Our nesting boxes are made of the same wood as our coop. Nesting boxes can be made from all sorts of materials. From plastic to metal, I’ve seen it all. Here are a few reasons your chickens may not like their nesting boxes.

They smell funny to the chickens. This could be a strong wood (like cedar or chemicals) or the chemical smell of plastic. Another reason, they don’t like how the material feels. For example, metal can be hot in summer or too cold in winter. Consider changing your nesting boxes and see if that makes a difference.

The boxes are too high or too low.

Chickens can be picky creatures, and honestly, you may not be able to make all of them happy. If your nesting boxes are on the ground, chickens may feel their eggs are not safe and will not lay in their boxes. On the other hand, if they are too high they may not lay in them either. Our coop is set up about 1 foot about the ground.

Our nesting boxes are on the floor of the coop and our chickens seem happy with this. We also have a 1″ board that separates the nesting boxes from the rest of the coop.

Your chickens have no privacy

Yes! Chickens are social creatures and run around in flocks. Sometimes I swear mine are cheering each other on. When it comes to laying their eggs, they need privacy. Make sure the nesting boxes are in the coop. Set them up in a quiet area, away from waters and feeders.

The nesting boxes are dirty or smell bad

Keep your hen’s nesting boxes clean. Having dirty nesting boxes will turn them away and cause them to lay elsewhere. I love using this nesting blend to help keep my hen’s bedding fresh. It’s perfect for their nesting boxes.

Are their Mites in your coop?

Keeping a clean coop will prevent this, but if you have mites clean the coop thoroughly. You can use a citrus-based all-natural cleaner. Herbs like these are great for preventing mites and other parasites.

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You don’t have enough nesting boxes

Have you recently added more hens to your flock? It’s possible you do not have enough nesting boxes for all of them. It is recommended to have one nesting box for every three hens.

Not having enough nesting boxes can cause many problems for your hens and your eggs. Hens could fight over the boxes, eggs can be broken, your hens could overheat.

Make sure your hens have plenty of nesting boxes, so they are comfortable laying their eggs. Wouldn’t you want the same for yourself? A nice, quiet, comfortable, calm place to work?