Finally got the chickens outside! (one day late)

[TaylorC]

We got our chicks around Valentine's. Limited materials and time coupled with somewhat large plans and designing on the fly, meant they were in our house until this Friday, the 25th. The day before, I'd planned to get staples for the roofing felt, so they could get in, but I couldn't get to the store. So of course, our leghorn decides to prove a point and lay an egg that morning! Sheesh, pushy, right?
Anyway, get them all in, another leghorn egg Sat morning, and this morning two of our brown layers have started. (It's our Red Star and either the BPR or GWL; the Buff is a bit younger than the rest, and the other two are EE'ers.)
For some reason we were expecting them to start laying early- mid- July. We don't mind.

Only problem, the leghorn laid in the brooding box (can you call it that four months later?) and has decided the window well near the back door (where they've come and gone) is the nest. I'm hoping that she'll get the idea since the other two eggs were in the nests. For good measure, if she lays in the window well again I'm going to try and catch her immediately after, and bring her and the egg to the nest, help her get the idea.
Yay! Eggs!

 

[tuesdays chicks]

how wonderful yippy for you, I can't wait for my babies to start laying. the 16 weeks is probably right for a rir read somewhere that they were early layers, wish mine were! ... twiddles thumbs while waiting for eggs.
congratulations

 

[chickenmeadow]

I start all of my young hens off with plastic eggs in the nest boxes before they begin to lay for the 1st time, to get them used to what goes in there. It works well for me. I just superglue the plastic Easter egg halves together (in case they get the silly idea that the eggs in general can be cracked open), let the glue air out, & put 2 in every nest; some people use golf balls, etc. By the way, mine are all banties so I was delighted to chance upon some smaller sized plastic eggs around the holiday, but the regular size worked fine before.

Don't know if this will help your layers, but worth a try to get them on the right track.