[Stablechooks]

At last... after 2 months one of our girls laid an egg! Not sure who, but she dropped it mid morning on the concrete yard just outside the coop - clearly more surprised than we were!

Any ideas on how to train the chickens to use the nesting box - we have just cleaned out the coop - so she had clean sheets so to speak!

[lucylou]

congratulations! it'll be exicting trying to work out who laid it, but even more exiting actually eating it! you could put an egg in the nest box to give her a hint,  but she will probably make her way there of her own accord next yime i had one of my girls lay in the run a few times but soon got the hang of the nest box

[Stablechooks]

thanks lucylou, as this is our first egg our girls have no-one to copy... worth putting one of those stone eggs in the box??

[peter o]

most of mine have laid their first egg 'away'. It's like they wern't expecting it but usually even by the second egg it's been in the nesting boxes without any help.
Congradulations

[joyfull]

yes you could put a pot or plastic egg in their nest box or even a golf ball just until they get the idea 
Congratulations by the way - but where is the photo??

[SMD66]

We had a few 1st eggs dropped anywhere, I think they take them by surprise, they must think they need a poo and an egg pops out! 

[allotmentnut]

Congratulations, it is so exciting and still is for us 8 months on.  Our chooks will not use a nest box, but they have made their own nesting place next to their water container.  They are happy laying there so we just let them get on with it.  We are still getting either five or six eggs each day from 6 chooks.

Enjoy your egg 

[bexy]

Congratulations 
Because it's her first she was most probably surprised by the experience....give her time and i am sure she will lay in the nest.
Mine all lay in the same spot which i find amazing realy,there must be a queue there in the morning with crossed legged ladies and they do take a while to lay...perhaps for spite making the others wait 

Still getting 5 a day of 5 hens

Just love some of the comments on here...what a great tonic 

[Alby]

Mine all lay in the nest box,s now and they all have thier own "special" box  not unusual to find two in a box at the same time if the first girl is a bit slow 

[chooksbury]

Ah, right, so I might go with the fake egg thing to begin with then, to give my dopey lot the idea.  They're not ready yet - tiny little pink combs .. but the excitement is already building 

[bee]

A friend advised me to use a golf ball - one of mine started to squat - and within a week she laid, and right next to the golf ball.  Think it gave her the hint!