Good or Bad Idea?

[7L Farm]

I read this again. Seems your worried about the chooks using the nest boxes so your thinking that leaving them locked up longer & with a light on will ensure that they will lay in the boxes. Here's what you do make sure you have pine shavings in the boxes & a fake egg in one or two of the boxes. Let the chickens handle the rest. They know what to do trust me. You don't need a light my electric bill is high enough with out turning lights on for the chickens. I have 7 coops could you imagine lighting them all up. I'm not thats a fact. Let your chickens lay when their ready. Its better that way.

 

[Uncle Marc]

They have 10 square feet each inside the coop and that much more outside in the run. I was only keeping them inside about 2 hours longer in the morning than opening the door to the run at daylight.

I also incorporated some of the ideas from the Woods style fresh air poultry houses so I think there is plenty of ventilation. Here's a pic of the inside of the coop.





And here's a pic of the run underneath.

 

[FireTigeris]

They have 10 square feet each inside the coop and that much more outside in the run. I was only keeping them inside about 2 hours longer in the morning than opening the door to the run at daylight.

I also incorporated some of the ideas from the Woods style fresh air poultry houses so I think there is plenty of ventilation. Here's a pic of the inside of the coop.

It's beautiful...

They won't no matter what you do all of them get the eggs into the nest box at first, the eggs sneak up on them.

Eggs are made throughout every 26ish hours and are ready to lay whenever they get done.

 

[Leavingegypt]

Chickens will lay when and how they will. The best way to ensure good egg laying is having healthy chickens. Manipulating light and cooping them up (so to speak) may cause aggitation in the flock- which could cause the opposite and ultimately result in less eggs. At 19 weeks they are not "late" in laying. Occasionally you read about chickens who lay @ 16 weeks- but the norm is more like 18-25 weeks, even longer on some breeds. I have 4 pullets within that laying window, and even though 3 of those are Production Reds (known for laying well and early) only 2 are laying. They laid their first eggs on the same day at 19.5 weeks.
I can see progress in their development, so I know the eggs will come.
Enjoy the anticipation

 

[Cindy in PA]

My hens are not free ranged. They live in a coop which is very secure from predators and their run is a caged area under the coop. I think there is plenty of square footage. They come and go from the run through an automatic chicken door. They were hatched April 8th and so are about 19 weeks old. No eggs yet. I've read that by giving them 16 hours of light each day that they will become better layers when the time comes.

No eggs have shown up in the nest boxes, in the coop or in the run.

Does this additional information clarify things better?

I have heard never to raise pullets on decreasing light. Can't say if it messes them up or not, as of course the light decreases from June 21st until I put light on at Aug 15th. I go with never letting them go below 14 hours. You have to decide what's best for you.