How To Get Chickens to Lay Eggs in the Nesting Box

How To Get Chickens to Lay Eggs in the Nesting Box

How to get chickens to lay eggs in the nesting box is one of the most frequently asked questions by chicken keepers. It’s a problem most of us face at some point – usually when one determined hen decides to lay her eggs in a random spot in the coop, the run or even the garden.

If left unchecked, this behaviour can spread to others in the flock, causing damage to your eggs, hygiene concerns and reduced productivity. In this post, we’ll look at why hens stop using nesting boxes and the most effective ways to get them laying where they’re meant to.

---

Why it matters where hens lay their eggs

You might think a hen laying her egg outside the nesting box isn’t a big issue – but there are some important reasons to stop it quickly.

1. Broken eggs and egg eating

Eggs laid on the floor or outdoors are far more likely to get stepped on and broken. If this happens, your chickens may start eating the eggs – and once that habit starts, they might start targeting the eggs inside the nesting box too.

2. Soiled eggs

Eggs laid on the coop floor are often covered in muck. Not only does this make them less appealing, but under UK regulations, you cannot sell soiled or washed eggs. If you’re eating them at home, they should be used quickly, as the protective bloom has likely been damaged.

3. Unknown freshness

If you discover an egg in a hidden spot, you can’t be sure when it was laid. It might be fresh, or it could have been sitting there for weeks. Unless you’re confident it’s recent, it’s safer to bin it.

---

Why do chickens lay outside the nesting box?

Before you can solve the problem, you need to understand why it’s happening. Chickens generally want to lay in a safe, comfortable space – if they’re laying elsewhere, it means something’s not quite right with the box or their environment.

---

How to get chickens to lay in the nesting box

1. Use fake eggs to encourage good habits

Chickens are observant, and they often learn where to lay by watching others. One of the best ways to guide them is to place a realistic fake wooden egg in each nesting box.

The fake egg acts as a visual cue that this is a safe place to lay. Ceramic or wooden eggs are best, as they match the size, shape and weight of a real egg. Avoid lightweight plastic ones.

---

2. Check the coop design

If fake eggs don’t do the trick, the problem could be with your coop layout. Chickens naturally prefer to roost as high as possible, so perches should always be higher than the nesting boxes.

If your hens are sleeping in the nesting boxes instead of roosting, it may be a height issue. You’ll know it’s happening if the boxes are regularly full of droppings. This makes the boxes unpleasant and can lead hens to lay elsewhere.

Try raising the perches slightly to encourage them to sleep where they should.

---

3. Address pecking order problems

Sometimes, a hen may be forced to lay elsewhere because she’s being bullied or excluded from the nesting boxes by more dominant birds. Chickens have a social hierarchy, and birds at the bottom of the pecking order can get pushed out.

In these cases, monitor your flock. Make sure all hens appear healthy and check for signs of feather pecking or aggression. While there’s no instant fix, these problems often resolve naturally.

In the meantime, confine the excluded hen to the coop for a day or two during laying hours. This limits her options and may help re-establish the nesting box as the right place to lay.

---

4. Improve the nesting environment

Hens prefer quiet, clean, comfortable spaces for laying. Check that each nesting box:

• Has soft bedding like straw or wood shavings
• Is in a dimly lit and quiet part of the coop
• Is clean and free of droppings
• Feels secure and private
• Is free from draughts, noise or nearby disturbances
• Is not near machinery or bright lights
• Is adequate in number (1 box per 3 hens is ideal)

Make small adjustments as needed. Even moving a noisy feeder or blocking a draft can make the difference.

---

5. Block access to unwanted laying spots

If you notice your hen has chosen a favourite corner of the run, a flower bed or a bit of bark in a bird bath – change the environment.

• Fill in holes they’ve scratched
• Block gaps behind the coop
• Place feeders in popular rogue laying spots
• Remove containers or objects they might nest in

The goal is to make unwanted laying spots less appealing than the nesting boxes.

---

6. Re-train persistent offenders

If you’ve got a particularly stubborn layer, you can try a gentle re-training method:

• Watch her behaviour in the morning
• When you see signs she’s ready to lay, move her gently into the nesting box
• If she leaves, calmly guide her back in or block other routes
• Never use force or stress the bird

With consistency, many hens will learn to associate the box with laying again.

---

Conclusion

Getting chickens to lay eggs in the nesting box is all about making the nesting box the best place to lay – clean, private, quiet and inviting. With the help of fake eggs, small coop tweaks and a watchful eye, most laying problems can be resolved quickly.