Egg laying age

[farmkat55]

My chickens are about 18 wks now. I have 6 pullets and 2 roos (for the time being!) and my question is do I just leave out the oyster shell even if there has not been any eggs yet? Won't the roos leave the oyster shell alone, for the most part? That's how I did my ducks...fed an all flock grain, plus a bowl of grit and a bowl of oyster shell. My duck had beautiful, hard-shelled eggs that she layed almost every day, some days two eggs! The drake sometimes tried a few oyster shell pieces, then left us and went about his business.

They have been sleeping inside the nesting boxes, so we've had the nesting boxes blocked off. Wondered how will I know they need in there? They were pooping in there a lot but I want them to use them, but not as a potty!! First time I've had chickens for laying so I want to do the best thing for them!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my chickens!

 

[Revan]

Do you have a roost for your chickens? That may be why they are pooping in the nesting boxes. Chickens like to perch high up when they sleep and if all they have to perch on is nesting boxes, they'll use the nesting boxes. My laying hens did the same thing until I installed a wooden rod for them to sit on instead.

The laying age depends on the breed of chicken. Hens generally will start laying anywhere between 6-8 months of age. My little cochin bantam hen just laid her first egg the other day at about 22 weeks of age. Look at your hens wattles and comb (if they are turning a bright red, they are getting close to laying [assuming you don't have a dark skinned breed like a silkie]). If your hens squat when you try to pick them up or pet them, this may also be a sign. I've noticed hens that lay or getting close to laying are more likely to squat down than those that don't lay.

 

[sawilliams]

Oyster shell will be fine left out, the roostrrs will learn to pass it up.

Open the nests during the day and close them again early evening before the birds go to roost. This way the ladies can explore the nests if they are getting close, but you can keep everyone out at night.

Also helps, just after dark once everyone is in the coop go out and put anyone not on the roosts up there. Some especially those that don't have other chickens to follow don't learn untill later if they aren't taught. They like the security of the nest over the comfort of the roost. Moving them will help them learn the roosts are more comfortable. Shouldn't take more then a few days but it can take longer. It it does take more then a week to get then on the roost you need to go out just before bed time and watch thier routine. Dominate chickens will keep others off the roosts if they feel there isn't enough space, adding an extra roost can quickly solve this issue. More space is always better then just enough...

I'm on night 2 of trying to move 9wk old chicks up to the roosts. It's a process

 

[peckpeckpeck]

Welcome to chicken life!!

I had my chickens on grower feed with a bowl of oyster shells free choice at 18 weeks. I sadly thought I had a roo so I didn't want to give them layer feed. Turns out she is just gender ambiguous

It was fine anyway since I still have some grower feed to burn through and my last pullet only just started laying today. FYI all of my girls have strong shells (almost too hard to crack!)

As for nesting boxes, I'd do what sawilliams says. Plus it could help to put curtains over the nest opening & some fake eggs inside. Doesn't have to be fancy or expensive -- just some tea towels or pillow cases tacked up. I use golf balls for fake-o's.
Gives em more privacy & shows them it's a good place for eggs.

 

[aart]

Definitely open the nests but 'train' them not to sleep in them.
I hacked together a permanent hinged cover on my nest bank, easy to cover up an hour before roost time then uncover after dark when I locked up.
Closed

Open

New layers can be quite goofy acting, they don't know what they are doing at first and can be confused and anxious, it can take up to a month or so before they get it all figured out. Putting some fake eggs or golf balls in the nest might help show them where to lay. They may scratch around in the nests for weeks before laying, spreading the bedding everywhere. They will scratch around a bit less in nest as they get used to the routine. Meanwhile, eggs everywhere, some of them can be rather funky looking, soft or thin shelled, huge double yolked eggs.

Signs of onset of lay---I've found the pelvic points to be the most accurate.
Squatting:
If you touch their back they will hunker down on the ground, then shake their tail feathers when they get back up.
Tho not all birds will do this, especially if there's a cockbird in the flock.
This shows they are sexually mature and egg laying is close at hand.

Combs and Wattles:
Plump, shiny red - usually means laying.
Shriveled, dryish looking and pale - usually means not laying.
Tho I have found that the combs and wattles can look full and red one minute then pale back out the next due to exertion or excitement, can drive ya nuts when waiting for a pullet to lay!

Vent Appearance:
Dry, tight, and smaller - usually not laying.
Moist, wide, and larger - usually laying.

Pelvic Points, feel for the 2 bony points(pelvic bones F-F) on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.
(Spacing is relative with chickens size and humans finger size.)

 

[farmkat55]

I'm so grateful for the input of yall as it is very helpful! We do have roosts in the chicken house, but they used to be below the level of the nesting boxes so the hubs moved them up higher than the boxes. But there is a "roost" of sorts at the opening of the boxes, should there not be? They sit on that too.
So, they sleep on the roosts but I thought they laid their eggs in the night time since there are eggs in the morning normally! That's why we had the boxes blocked off in the daytime...so please run it by me again...they free range in the day, then go to the house at night. I open doors on boxes then, right? Then in morning, I close them again when I let chickens out?
What about the food again? I do have some ceramic or wooden eggs I can try, too. I also don't have any bedding in them though. Sorry, sounds like I'm babbling!! LOL

 

[aart]

To prevent them from sleeping in nests:
Cover nests an hour before roosting time(which is usually around sunset).
Then uncover nests after dark(when they should all be on the roost), or just after sunrise.

 

[lcwmt]

I'm so grateful for the input of yall as it is very helpful! We do have roosts in the chicken house, but they used to be below the level of the nesting boxes so the hubs moved them up higher than the boxes. But there is a "roost" of sorts at the opening of the boxes, should there not be? They sit on that too.
So, they sleep on the roosts but I thought they laid their eggs in the night time since there are eggs in the morning normally! That's why we had the boxes blocked off in the daytime...so please run it by me again...they free range in the day, then go to the house at night. I open doors on boxes then, right? Then in morning, I close them again when I let chickens out?
What about the food again? I do have some ceramic or wooden eggs I can try, too. I also don't have any bedding in them though. Sorry, sounds like I'm babbling!! LOL

Our girls free range from about 7:30 am until just before dusk. They put themselves to bed, I go lock up the coop. Our largest, very protective dog is out with them all day; the birds stay close to the house. When the first two began laying, they made nests in the flower beds, Eventually they began using the (same) nesting box. Now, all that are laying will go to that box during the day, sometimes they'll wait their turn rather than using the -other- box. They like having the little roost (think of it as a step) at the front of the box, makes it easier to decide to go in or out or in or out, or in. <G> They can be rather like cats at times.
So, to answer your question: leave them access to the nesting boxes all day. Each girl will have a slightly different laying schedule in my experience. Some lay very early in the day, others in the late afternoon.
When they were little I blocked off the nesting boxes at night to keep them from sleeping there. Now I don't bother. The bedding in those nest boxes stays nice and clean because they are not sleeping there.....

 

[lazy gardener]

Yes, there should be a roost or landing strip outside the entrance to the nest boxes. I made a slatted affair, with (3) 1 x 2 slats. This is hinged to the nest boxes with a nut and bolt at the ends of the 2 x 2's that the slats are screwed to. To block off my nests, all I have to do is simply flip up the slats to cover the nest box openings. Aart tackled her problem from the top down. I tackled my problem from the bottom up!

 

[sawilliams]

I'm so grateful for the input of yall as it is very helpful! We do have roosts in the chicken house, but they used to be below the level of the nesting boxes so the hubs moved them up higher than the boxes. But there is a "roost" of sorts at the opening of the boxes, should there not be? They sit on that too.
So, they sleep on the roosts but I thought they laid their eggs in the night time since there are eggs in the morning normally! That's why we had the boxes blocked off in the daytime...so please run it by me again...they free range in the day, then go to the house at night. I open doors on boxes then, right? Then in morning, I close them again when I let chickens out?
What about the food again? I do have some ceramic or wooden eggs I can try, too. I also don't have any bedding in them though. Sorry, sounds like I'm babbling!! LOL

Typical chickens lay eggs during the day, some early morning usually the time shifts as most lay 1 egg every 25-28 hours. example if hen a laid at 7am today she would possibly lay around 10am tomorrow, then 3 pm. Most won't lay after about 5 or 6 pm so she would skip the following day and lay at first light the next.

Your probably getting eggs early morning becuase they are holding during the day due to not being able to find a nest and then rushing to lay them as soon as you open the nests at night and and early morning. If the nests are open during the day most hens will be done laying by about 2 or 3 pm with the occasional exception of a late layer