I'm New and the Chickens Are Too!

[Gwindollyn]

I'm new to chickens and I have some 19/20 week old girls (I actually have sort of lost track) that one of them is laying everyday almost, but not the rest!! I don't know if this is normal, or what if anything, I should be doing. I put out some nesting boxes and lined them with artificial turf and some herbs. The one that is laying snubbed the nesting boxes and is using an old towel that I had outside the coup. She fashioned it into a nest shape and started laying there. One of my other chickens lost an eye. She is the biggest of the bunch, I thought she was going to lay first. But she is not laying I'm sure because of all the fuss and the antibiotics and such. That leaves me with two chickens that are not laying. Suggestions?? Advice??

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

I'm new to chickens and I have some 19/20 week old girls (I actually have sort of lost track) that one of them is laying everyday almost, but not the rest!! I don't know if this is normal, or what if anything, I should be doing. I put out some nesting boxes and lined them with artificial turf and some herbs. The one that is laying snubbed the nesting boxes and is using an old towel that I had outside the coup. She fashioned it into a nest shape and started laying there. One of my other chickens lost an eye. She is the biggest of the bunch, I thought she was going to lay first. But she is not laying I'm sure because of all the fuss and the antibiotics and such. That leaves me with two chickens that are not laying. Suggestions?? Advice??

Put fake eggs, those little practice golf balls with holes in them, real golf balls, pingpong balls, etc. in there for them to understand where to lay. Hens usually start laying at 20-30 weeks depending on the breed

 

[Gwindollyn]

Thank you so much!!!

 

[aart]

Suggestions?? Advice??

Why not use some real bedding in the nests?
What do you use on the coop floor....and what else might you ahve available?

little practice golf balls with holes in them.... pingpong balls...

These two are too light to work well, and the holes could catch a toe while birds are 'arranging' the nest before laying.

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Why not use some real bedding in the nests?
What do you use on the coop floor....and what else might you ahve available?


These two are too light to work well, and the holes could catch a toe while birds are 'arranging' the nest before laying.

I use them with no problems but I see where you’re coming from

 

[ChicNmom]

The others will be laying any time now. Sometimes it's 5 months but others are around 6 months.

I would keep an eye on the artificial turf for signs they are picking at in and trying to eat it. My husband insulated the nest boxes and they picked through to the foam and were eating it