I need help getting my chickens to find their nesting boxes!

[GFamily]

I am so excited we have had 1 hen out of 15 laying for 9 days. The other 14 hadn't come along. Then yesterday, we went to check for eggs in one of the two large nesting boxes we have and our one hen who is laying didn't have an egg for us. She's already laying "medium" sized eggs and on her 4th day laid an extra large double yolker! WOW! Anyhow, we expected all the hens would lay in the same nesting box since that's what we hear from so many people. However, we checked the other nesting box and there were two baby eggs in there from two new layers!!! I am just glad they're using both nesting boxes!!!

 

[kodster]

I am so excited we have had 1 hen out of 15 laying for 9 days. The other 14 hadn't come along. Then yesterday, we went to check for eggs in one of the two large nesting boxes we have and our one hen who is laying didn't have an egg for us. She's already laying "medium" sized eggs and on her 4th day laid an extra large double yolker! WOW! Anyhow, we expected all the hens would lay in the same nesting box since that's what we hear from so many people. However, we checked the other nesting box and there were two baby eggs in there from two new layers!!! I am just glad they're using both nesting boxes!!!

Very exciting, isn't it? Mine started laying 2 weeks ago, tomorrow... up to 6 eggs a day, out of 9 that are mature enough to lay. Hoping to have another 6 coming online in the next couple of weeks. Then, it's waiting game for another 12-16 weeks for the next tier to start laying.

 

[GFamily]

Very exciting, isn't it? Mine started laying 2 weeks ago, tomorrow... up to 6 eggs a day, out of 9 that are mature enough to lay. Hoping to have another 6 coming online in the next couple of weeks. Then, it's waiting game for another 12-16 weeks for the next tier to start laying.

Yes! I never thought I'd be this excited about getting eggs. My 4 year old and I are giddy with excitement each day when we check for eggs. We were even more giddy to find two additional eggs yesterday. I love having chickens! They're so much fun and they offer wonderful little presents pre-packaged for us everyday! So nice!

 

[kodster]

Yes! I never thought I'd be this excited about getting eggs. My 4 year old and I are giddy with excitement each day when we check for eggs. We were even more giddy to find two additional eggs yesterday. I love having chickens! They're so much fun and they offer wonderful little presents pre-packaged for us everyday! So nice!

What are you going to do with a dozen+ eggs per day? LOL! I have 4 families who are interested in buying from me, as well as some that are interested in buying hatching eggs, already.

 

[GFamily]

What are you going to do with a dozen+ eggs per day? LOL! I have 4 families who are interested in buying from me, as well as some that are interested in buying hatching eggs, already.

Well, it's our first time having a flock and since we're not advanced level chicken-keepers, we expected that when we ordered our 15 from McMurray (minimum order) some would die during shipping or something. We didn't know. However, our hens are very healthy. We have read so much on here and other places about keeping chickens that we've taken some of the advice that's been very helpful. We have also learned some through the process of having them from the time they were little chicks to now, 20 weeks. Anyhow, needless to say we expected being our first time we may not be perfect at owning them and some would not survive maybe by a stupid error or shipping or whatever it may be. However, they've thrived and it's AWESOME! We have 12 families who are interested in getting extra eggs. We eat between 2-3 dozen ourselves a week. I bake a lot and my husband eats them for the protein A LOT. So that's kind of how we ended up with 15 and I am so thankful for them! They are so much fun and our 4 year old daughter loves chasing them around the yard. Now she's asking for bunnies though! We live in the city (our city allows chickens)....no more animals (dog, cat, 15 chickens!)

 

[newbie32]

Well, it's our first time having a flock and since we're not advanced level chicken-keepers, we expected that when we ordered our 15 from McMurray (minimum order) some would die during shipping or something. We didn't know. However, our hens are very healthy. We have read so much on here and other places about keeping chickens that we've taken some of the advice that's been very helpful. We have also learned some through the process of having them from the time they were little chicks to now, 20 weeks. Anyhow, needless to say we expected being our first time we may not be perfect at owning them and some would not survive maybe by a stupid error or shipping or whatever it may be. However, they've thrived and it's AWESOME! We have 12 families who are interested in getting extra eggs. We eat between 2-3 dozen ourselves a week. I bake a lot and my husband eats them for the protein A LOT. So that's kind of how we ended up with 15 and I am so thankful for them! They are so much fun and our 4 year old daughter loves chasing them around the yard. Now she's asking for bunnies though! We live in the city (our city allows chickens)....no more animals (dog, cat, 15 chickens!)

awww just 1 bunny

 

[GFamily]

awww just 1 bunny

LOL! Believe it or not I had bunnies growing up so I thought about it. It's my husband that is dead set against the idea. haha

 

[kodster]

awww just 1 bunny

And hope it's not pregnant when you get it! LOL! Bunnies have a tendency to experience the same phenomenon as chickens do... the math gets out of control.

 

[GFamily]

And hope it's not pregnant when you get it! LOL! Bunnies have a tendency to experience the same phenomenon as chickens do... the math gets out of control.

That is so very true!

 

[kodster]

Well, it's our first time having a flock and since we're not advanced level chicken-keepers, we expected that when we ordered our 15 from McMurray (minimum order) some would die during shipping or something. We didn't know. However, our hens are very healthy. We have read so much on here and other places about keeping chickens that we've taken some of the advice that's been very helpful. We have also learned some through the process of having them from the time they were little chicks to now, 20 weeks. Anyhow, needless to say we expected being our first time we may not be perfect at owning them and some would not survive maybe by a stupid error or shipping or whatever it may be. However, they've thrived and it's AWESOME! We have 12 families who are interested in getting extra eggs. We eat between 2-3 dozen ourselves a week. I bake a lot and my husband eats them for the protein A LOT. So that's kind of how we ended up with 15 and I am so thankful for them! They are so much fun and our 4 year old daughter loves chasing them around the yard. Now she's asking for bunnies though! We live in the city (our city allows chickens)....no more animals (dog, cat, 15 chickens!)

I got my first birds from McMurray, too. They're the ones laying now. I also bought some additional birds from them as chicks, because my first ones did so well. I also bought some ducklings from them. However, now I'm incubating eggs, and getting successful hatches (after the first 3 attempts went bust on me). So, chicken math is in play. However, I'm getting requests to buy hatching eggs from me, as well as chicks. Also, my new next-door neighbor just asked if they can buy eggs from us, too, so now I'm up to 5 families, in addition to our own use. Like you, I'm a serious baker, and we love fresh eggs... but it's just my husband and I. No way we can eat THAT many eggs! So, the going rate for farm-fresh eggs here in my neck of the woods is $7-7.50 a dozen. It will be lucrative for me to sell them, as well as my location (just off a busy major state highway... all I have to do is put a sign up).

I bought the ducklings because my husband wanted them, but have since gotten attached to them, myself. I ended up with 12, straight run, except for the last 2, which I bought as a pair. I thought I got lucky, and received the correct ratio of hens to drakes, but found out in the last couple of weeks that I had 8 drakes to 4 hens! NO way was I keeping that many drakes... they would gang up and rape the hens! So, yesterday, I downsized to 2 drakes and 4 hens... next-door neighbor saw us processing them (along with 6 chickens... 1 a "terrorist" rooster (GLW) and 5 Dark Cornish pullets that I thought I would enjoy, but realized I didn't like them at all, and decided to cull them to the freezer camp)... and that's what opened the conversation about buying eggs from us. If they aren't providing, then they end up on the dinner table. Anyways, the ducks' eggs are supposed to be the best for baking... richer yolks, better texture, etc. So, I'm looking forward to getting my first eggs from them. Hopefully, in 2-4 weeks... the 1 male Rouen drake I kept for the 3 Rouen hens was trying to mate with 1 of them last night, but she pushed him away. The other 2 ducks are the pair I got, which are Jumbo Pekins. They're not mature enough yet.

So, like you, 1 dog, 2 cats, 43 chickens at different ages (and more in 2 incubators), 6 ducks, 1 turkey (and 2 more in 1 of those incubators, due to hatch in 2 days), hubby wants geese and jumbo ring neck pheasants next year, along with Bourbon Red turkeys. The 3 turkeys I've got now are Wishard Bronzes, the oldest being 7 weeks old now, the 2 waiting to hatch. But I live in a small rural town who doesn't restrict us on the number of animals... just the size of the property is our limitation. Sure keeps me busy and out of trouble!