Coming of age to lay

[J99]

I have several hen boxes and perches , but I haven’t prepared them yet what should I do to prepare them to lay? Just put bedding in each box? Or straw? Or what? And at exactly what age should I do that?

 

[BYCforlife]

You should make sure to put the nesting boxes in before the hens start "searching". I would at least have the nesting boxes in place at 18 weeks. I find that wood shavings work best in nesting boxes, but I have used straw and it works too.

 

[aart]

I have several hen boxes and perches , but I haven’t prepared them yet what should I do to prepare them to lay? Just put bedding in each box? Or straw? Or what? And at exactly what age should I do that?

How old are your birds, in weeks?
Are they sleeping on the roosts?
Are the nests open now?

I like to open the nests at about 16 weeks with bedding and fake eggs.
Then you can make sure they won't sleep in them before eggs actually arrive.

 

[J99]

They are sets of 15 weeks , 14 weeks and 13 weeks ( I got chicken fever and got new babies every week lol)
I just put bedding in the boxes today actually , they all sleep on roosts except like three of the younger ones sleep in a certain box and the four ducks sleep in a box lol

 

[aart]

They are sets of 15 weeks , 14 weeks and 13 weeks ( I got chicken fever and got new babies every week lol)
I just put bedding in the boxes today actually , they all sleep on roosts except like three of the younger ones sleep in a certain box and the four ducks sleep in a box lol

Best to break those 'sleeping in nest' habits.
Might need a separate roost for the youngest(where were they sleeping before opening nests?)
Not sure about the ducks, as far as I know they sleep on the ground but you don't want them sleeping in the chicken nests.
Are your nests on the floor?

 

[J99]

Yes the boxes have always been there since the beginning but just empty they all slept in one box their whole lives now all the other ones graduated to sleeping on perches out in the enclosed run part at night but there’s still a couple of stragglers left in the one box. Yes most of my boxes are on the floor but there’s also about 6 up higher and there’s roosts in there too they all used to sleep on but when my Rooster decided to sleep outside ( enclosed) they all one by one followed his lead. It’s nice out so I allowed it. During the day time I shut them out of the interior room but at night , the ducks and those three babies go in

 

[Ridgerunner]

Different people use different bedding in nests. That can be hay, straw, wood shavings, shredded paper (don't use newspaper since the ink stains), wood chips, carpet, certain feed bags, Spanish moss, and who knows what else. My thoughts are to try something available and inexpensive. If you don't like it try something else.

I also keep a fake egg in the nests. Most chickens tend to like to lay where others are laying, but some few don't. I'd put a fake egg in each nest except maybe one. I use golf balls but you can get wooden or ceramic eggs. Some people use plastic Easter eggs but I had to glue mine together to keep them from scratching them apart immediately and even then the glue soon failed. You probably should put something in them like sand, to make them heavier.

With those ages I'd have them open withing a week. Now would be good. As long as the roosts are higher than the nests they should sleep on the roosts even with the nests open, at least your older ones.

Those younger ones may be afraid to go on the main roosts with the older ones, that happens to me a lot. I don't care where the younger ones sleep as long as it is not the nests. If it is going to be the nests I want to know that before they start laying so I can work on the problem. I integrate younger chicks all the time. To stop them sleeping in the nests I put up a separate juvenile roost, lower than the main roosts, higher than the nests, and horizontally separated from the main roosts by a few feet.

They are afraid or sleeping on the main roosts with the adults so if yours are sleeping in the nests now you should physically move them to the juvenile roost after it gets too dark for them to move back. It should not take long to break that habit.

Often pullets start looking for a safe place to lay about a week before they actually start laying. If the nests are not open you may be teaching the to lay somewhere other than your nests. It is rare but I have had pullets start laying at 16 weeks. Now is a great time to have them open.

 

[J99]

Such a clean duck coop! Teach me your ways!

To stop them sleeping in the nests I put up a separate juvenile roost, lower than the main roosts, higher than the nests, and horizontally separated from the main roosts by a few feet.

I have roosts outside where the others sleep in several areas , the other babies sleep on the opposite side of the door from the older ones but both of those roosts also have lower roosts and there’s two roosts out there no ones touching at night . Then since they are staying inside the interior room there are roosts all inside there also that no ones on so I’ll try moving them at night . I use like pine chips on the floor and in the boxes. I’ll start looking for fake eggs lol to put in there soon

 

[J99]

Ps
I have two hen boxes nailed to the wall way up high because I’m new and someone said the higher the better then someone seen my pics and said “why are those two boxes up so high ?” So is it good or bad?

 

[aart]

Ps
I have two hen boxes nailed to the wall way up high because I’m new and someone said the higher the better then someone seen my pics and said “why are those two boxes up so high ?” So is it good or bad?

Might have been me..and I think I explained that roosts should be higher than nests so they don't sleep in nests and poop them up.
Here's some height tips:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-should-stuff-be.73427/