E4eggs Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hello At the weekend I moved my four chickens into their new Cube from their Eglu. On Saturday one went to bed on her own and despite using a torch as advised, the other three had to be lifted into bed. Yesterday they tumbled/flew and gingerly stepped out, and last night put themselves to bed. So far so good and pleased with that progress. Today they again came out - not very happily - but, early days yet. What I would like to know is How do they learn where they should lay their eggs? I've put a china egg into the nesting area, but yesterday and today I've had an egg laid in the run. At the moment I am only getting one or two a day. I don't think they are very happy with the Cube yet and the ladder but how on earth do you teach an old chicken new tricks ?!?! I have to keep darting out to see if there is an egg and get to it before they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufusrooster Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 had no problems when mine went from eglu to cube, started laying in the nest box straight away, i'm sure they;ll soon figure it out, as for the ladder ,seen posts on here before about the ladder, not the best design, i just made a ramp that just sits on top of the ladder and fixed a few steps to the ramp, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Like rufusrooster I covered the ladder with a wooden ramp - chooks much happier using that than the ladder . It just takes one hen to learn how to lay an egg in the nest box and the others usually soon follow suite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I haven't had an egg since I moved mine from a wooden house to the cube Mind you, it was in the autumn, they have all been in moult and now they're not quite ready to lay, although one is almost there. I have to confess I am slightly unsure if they know where to go, so if I catch one in the cube I have sessions of peering through the egg port and calling to it which is ridiculous Putting in a pot egg is much more sensible, if mine start laying in odd places I will pay more attention and physically put them in the nest box so they get the idea. Although as I went to strenuous lengths of curing them from sleeping in the nest box I'm not sure their teeny tiny brains will be able to compute..you can lay an egg but you can't lay down for a snooze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Despite having a lovely Cube, and despite having a nice clean nest box which they are happy to sleep in, my eight all queue up to lay in the single little nest box in my Eglu (in which the bantams sleep at night). I have no idea why. Gwladys got caught short and laid an egg on the roosting bars one day because she was waiting for Blodwyn who takes ages to lay. Silly girls! The only way I can get them to lay in the Cube is to shut the door at night, and then they have to lay in there because they are stuck! (Except for Dilys the Pekin, who lays tiny little pinky-white eggs in the massive Cube nest box. I think she just likes to be different). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
