Do you have any tricks to jump start the egg laying process? Yes, I know nature will truly decide.

Boy, I don't know.
Rule of thumb(which are by no means carved in stone) is that nests should be lower than roosts, so they don't roost(sleep) and poop in the nests.
You could leave them there and add a 2x4 or 1x3 across the perches for easier access to the nests...and if they do sleep in them, move them then.

Personally I'd move the nests down and/or the roost up.
I made my nests at a height easy for me to reach, (bottom of nests are about 24") with a perch and ramp for the birds ease of access.
Then made roosts about a foot higher, which actually made the roost board an easy height for me clean also(board about 36" roost 8" over that).

Hopefully you used screws to install your roosts and nests...I use deck/drywall screws for everything, easy to drive and easy to change things.
I did a lot of planning before building and still had to change stuff after coop was in use and I saw some issues.


When I was building mine it was on here every night trying to get as many ideas as I could, but then I ran out of time. I kind of under estimated how fast chickens grow. I think for slapping it together pretty quick it turned out alright. I knew there would be a learning curve, it seems like I am out there every night tinkering with something. I have to get my poly up on the sides of the run this weekend. Do you poly your run, or do you just lock yours in the coop all winter? It seem like 50% of the people I talk to lock them up. When I poly the sides should I leave the whole south side open? My other question is how did you get your birds to switch over to the nipple waterers? I put a bucket in the run with some vertical nipples until my horizontal ones show up, I don't think they have touched them.
 
Quote: I do not poly my run, it would be a nightmare with the snowload we get here......
......so I shovel parts of it, about 10' of it between run door and pop door, then a path about 2' wide and 30' long so I can knock down any snow that sticks to the mesh roof .....and the chooks wander the path too. I can throw the snow right thru the mesh to the sides. I throw a very thin layer of straw down if it gets icy.


Nipple waterers can take time and 'training'...seems in general that the older the birds the longer it takes them to figure it out, some figure it out sooner than others. I had a write up on how I trained mine, but can't find yet.

Basically take away all other water sources and keep tapping on the nipple trigger until they get it.
..and do training during a time where temps aren't extreme and quickly cause dehydration issues.
I kind of know how much water they drink a day by measured observation, so mark the water nipple vessel so I know if they are drinking or not and how much.

Here's a good thread about water nipples

.....and all my posts on that thread:
 

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