Finally got some chickens

[cbourbeau32]

Well I got six chickens for our new homestead Saturday. Three of them are Black Australorp cross, one is a White Leghorn and the other two are Rhode Island Red cross. I bought 5 hens and one rooster. I'm pretty excited and they seem to be adjusting to their new living quarters pretty well. I tried to post some pictures so everyone can see what we bought but it won't let me post pictures with the thread. I plan to add some Australorp pullets some time soon but wanted to get started so I think I got a good start.

Thanks for everyone's advice, Charlie

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

congratulations!! And welcome to byc! Chickens are so fun, and very productive for a homestead

 

[cbourbeau32]

Well I'm replying to this thread to ask some advice regarding our hen that recently started laying. As the original post says we got some chickens back in early November, at the time they were (I'd guess) around 10-12 weeks old when we got them. We have been free ranging them from around noon to around 4 in the afternoon. They absolutely love being out of their coop. Well my wife noticed Sunday while hanging clothes on the line that one of the hens was acting kind of funny and hanging around the awning to our shed but she didn't think too much of it until it happened again Monday and she actually saw it go under the front of our riding lawn mower which is parked there and sit for a while and cackle so when the chicken left she discovered two eggs which we assumed to be one each day from Sunday and Monday. I was off work today so when we let them out she went right back there immediately and laid another egg. I built a laying box today and put it in their coop this afternoon. My question to the good folks on this forum is if my plan to now leave them locked in the coop for a week to ten days until they adjust to laying (at least the ones that will start laying by then and they are all within a week or so of the same age) in the nesting box. I really want them to lay in the box and not all over the place. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Charlie

 

[bobbi-j]

How big is your coop? Do you have an attached run so they can get outside during the day? If they have plenty of room, it will be OK to lock them in for a bit to get them adjusted to laying in the nest box. Do you have a few golf balls or fake eggs to put in the nests? That will also encourage them to lay there. Once they get started laying in the boxes for a few days, you should be OK to let them out again.

 

[aart]

You could also just leave them cooped up until mid to later in the afternoon instead of 24/7 if space is tight in the coop.

 

[bobbi-j]

You could also just leave them cooped up until mid to later in the afternoon instead of 24/7 if space is tight in the coop.

Good idea - just keep them cooped until they lay.