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

[newbie32]

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.

Yeah so sell them or cook them. Rabbit stew is awesome. Just don't let the kids know what kind of meat they are eating until they are older. I had a chinchilla when I was young and I loved it. But I can wear a coat made out of them now-if I could afford it. Animals should be honored by using as much as possible so-make money selling rabbit furs, lucky rabbits feet, and sell to a local restaurant that would love a deal in fresh meat. French restaurants would love you lol. Or just get 1 and make sure its a male

 

[GFamily]

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!

I agree with you completely! If they aren't providing they go on the dinner table. I haven't done my own processing, but I saw it when I was a kid because my babysitter owned a farm. I am limited to the amount of chickens I can have legally. I can have up to 20 hens in the city and 1 rooster. That gives me 6 to give or take with chicken math to be within the legal limits! lol

I'm not charging much for the eggs. I'm just charging $3.50 as not really looking for a "profit" so to speak.

I would LOVE to have a farm with all of those animals. So much fun! Alas, that's not the case for now so I'll be happy with what we have. Fortunately, all of our neighbors are kind and find our chickens intriguing and not a nuisance. Sounds like you have your hands full and that it's super fun!

 

[ChickenNanny]

My girls are about 17 weeks of age now and I've only had them about 10 days. I know they are not ready to start laying, but my question is when should I prepare their nesting boxes for egg laying? The boxes are attached to the coop but so far I've not done anything with them. I'm using shavings on the coop floor which lands in the open boxes when the girls scratch around.
I appreciate your responses and I'm learning a lot from reading the great posts in these forums!
ChickenNanny

 

[GFamily]

My girls are about 17 weeks of age now and I've only had them about 10 days. I know they are not ready to start laying, but my question is when should I prepare their nesting boxes for egg laying? The boxes are attached to the coop but so far I've not done anything with them. I'm using shavings on the coop floor which lands in the open boxes when the girls scratch around.
I appreciate your responses and I'm learning a lot from reading the great posts in these forums!
ChickenNanny

I had mine prepared with fake eggs and shavings at about week 15. I don't know what breed you have, but mine are Red Sex-Links which are known to lay early like week 18 - week 24 so I wanted them to see the eggs in the nesting boxes well before they began to lay. So far all 3 that have started laying are laying in the two nesting boxes.

 

[Annasg]

If you go ahead and put the boxes in, they will pick out their laying boxes that they want to use. I had mine already in the hen house and they adjusted really well with them. I only had one that did not use the boxes but she was too heavy to fly up there. I made her a box on the floor but she doesnt use it. She just squats when she is ready to lay and there is where she leaves her egg. I have separated her from the rest of the flock except for one for company hoping that taking her away from the rest of the girls might help her. I noticed this morning that one of them had been in the box but I am not sure if it was her or not.

 

[TERRY4]

My girls are about 17 weeks of age now and I've only had them about 10 days. I know they are not ready to start laying, but my question is when should I prepare their nesting boxes for egg laying? The boxes are attached to the coop but so far I've not done anything with them. I'm using shavings on the coop floor which lands in the open boxes when the girls scratch around.
I appreciate your responses and I'm learning a lot from reading the great posts in these forums!
ChickenNanny

I did! I had mine ready for a long time. Lol.. Just so they could check them out and be aware and used to them. I put some clean straw in, and a golf ball in each nest box. They started laying recently, and it was IN the nest boxes. It paid off!

 

[ChickenNanny]

Thanks for your input! I have 2 Buff Orpington, 1 Light Brahma and 1 Partridge Rocks. Unfortunately, the Black Australorp didn't survive the 5 hour journey from my son's home to mine along with the others so I just have the 4. I think I'll try putting a dishpan with shavings inside the larger built-in box and perhaps add a little privacy curtain, as well. Love your advice!

 

[kodster]

Thanks for your input! I have 2 Buff Orpington, 1 Light Brahma and 1 Partridge Rocks. Unfortunately, the Black Australorp didn't survive the 5 hour journey from my son's home to mine along with the others so I just have the 4. I think I'll try putting a dishpan with shavings inside the larger built-in box and perhaps add a little privacy curtain, as well. Love your advice!

That's what I would do... get the boxes ready, because it could be any time now. Give them a little time, though, because of the stress of relocation, but they should be laying soon!

 

[TashaLuv]

yeah I'd think the metal trays they might not like u can make lil wood ones they like to roost & instead of fake eggs u can either order fake eggs online I got wood ones & couldn't tell which was real or use eggs in ur fridge just mark them so U know & ours only would lay in the same area the one box for 6 hens silly girls..

 

[susanp970]

OMG what beautiful nesting boxes. I would go with straw or dried grass cuttings. As that I think feels more natural.