How long should we block the nesting boxes?

[ChickenMamaC]

Our girls are 6.5 weeks. I know they typically might begin to lay around 16 weeks, but it will be mid-September. Will they begin laying in the fall months, just to stop again in the winter? Some breeds might lay over the winter months as well, correct?
So does the 16 week time frame make sense, or should we wait and look for signs?

 

[kmom08]

Im not really sure on a time frame, but I blocked mine off as well to prevent them from getting in the habit of sleeping in the nest box area. (My last flock I had one girl who always slept in a nest box which meant I had to clean it daily)
My girls are 10 weeks old and ALL sleeping on the roosts now, so I'm working on the dividers and final touches of theirs nest boxes. I will be opening them up as soon as they are completed within the next couple of days.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Once they started roosting at night That’s where they will want to sleep every night so it should be safe to uncover your boxes. And I would leave them uncovered most breeds will lay some in the winter just a little bit less but if they’ve been sleeping on the roost Pole every night It’s highly unlikely they will decide to sleep in the nest box. I kind of liked open get it early anyway because I noticed they were kind of go in and investigate a little bit

 

[Birdsong 82]

Once they start laying eggs in there they will understand that’s where they lay their eggs and nothing else. At least for the most part. If you find overtime there is a problem you can always recover it but I know all mine once they start using roost i uncover the nest boxes and haven’t had any trouble

 

[Carolrich]

We live in Kentucky and had a brutally cold winter last year. Most of our hens continued to lay eggs through the winter although not as frequently. Those hens are ISA Browns. They are very good layers.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Most breeds definitely like for the one most breeds definitely lay Through the winter. The first winter I had my Rhode Island Reds they laid almost every day throughout the winter because they didn’t start their molt till the next year. They were missing an egg here and there but mostly consistent. But each breed is different. I leghorns only laid off as much in the winter but I don’t like to use artificial light or anything like that I let nature do it’s thing

 

[kmom08]

We live in Kentucky and had a brutally cold winter last year. Most of our hens continued to lay eggs through the winter although not as frequently. Those hens are ISA Browns. They are very good layers.

I'm in south west Kentucky we had ISA browns in our last flock, they were great layers! oh how I miss those jumbo eggs!

 

[Carolrich]

Most breeds definitely like for the one most breeds definitely lay Through the winter. The first winter I had my Rhode Island Reds they laid almost every day throughout the winter because they didn’t start their molt till the next year. They were missing an egg here and there but mostly consistent. But each breed is different. I leghorns only laid off as much in the winter but I don’t like to use artificial light or anything like that I let nature do it’s thing

I forgot to say that I neither use artificial light nor heaters in my coop. I am with you on the liking of nature doing its thing

 

[Birdsong 82]

I feel like laying all those eggs over the summer has got to be hard work. I would want to do a small break too if I were them. LOL

 

[rosemarythyme]

Their first year of laying they'll likely lay through the winter. You can go ahead and open up nest boxes around 16 weeks... even if they're not ready to lay at that time it'll give them time to explore the boxes, and by that point they should be well used to roosting so unlikely to start sleeping in the boxes.