laying chickens

[Chicken Chicken Love]

So, my black sex link and the rest of my sweet chicks should be laying soon! How should I prepare? What kind of bedding do you use in the laying boxes, the same as the rest of the coop? Also, the lowest temp it is getting in the day is about 83 degrees for now, but, at night it gets down to about 70 something. Will they lay at night if it is cool enough [ if it is important we have some dim lights in the coop]? What are all the signs that a hen is about to lay, I know about their wattles and combs getting bigger and them squatting when you go to pick them up but are there any other big ones?
Thank you in advance

 

[SueT]

I usually put hay or straw in the nest boxes, dry grass clippings, but almost anything will do including shavings etc. They don't lay at night when they sleep.
Do you have nest boxes? I like to have fake eggs in there to encourage them to use the boxes. They may go in and 'practice' laying for a week or 2 before laying.
It's exciting waiting for first eggs!

 

[Chicken Chicken Love]

I usually put hay or straw in the nest boxes, dry grass clippings, but almost anything will do including shavings etc. They don't lay at night when they sleep.
Do you have nest boxes? I like to have fake eggs in there to encourage them to use the boxes. They may go in and 'practice' laying for a week or 2 before laying.
It's exciting waiting for first eggs!

Thank you for answering, yes I do have nesting boxes and I didn't know hens will practice laying even two weeks before they actually do. Will all hens do that or just some? Okay, good to know they won't lay at night, if it is really early morning like 1-3 oclock and it is cold enough will they lay? Also, what is your experience with the temp and time of day that pullets will start to lay at?

 

[SueT]

They are all different, you'll just have to see. They will lay at different times of day, but it is not related to the temperature. It takes at least 25 hours for an egg to form inside the hen, so if she were to lay an egg every day, it wouldn't be at the same time as the previous day. Not all lay eggs every day, tho some do. 5-6 eggs a week is considered good.
As I mentioned, they don't lay eggs at night. But sometimes they might lay first thing in the morning if there's an egg ready to come out.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What kind of bedding do you use in the laying boxes, the same as the rest of the coop?

if it is important we have some dim lights in the coop]?

Nesting material can be almost anything you want, from wood shavings to straw to sand.

IMO best to axe the lights, though the flock might complain at first - animals, like humans, get better rest at night when it's dark.

Will all hens do that or just some? Okay, good to know they won't lay at night, if it is really early morning like 1-3 oclock and it is cold enough will they lay? Also, what is your experience with the temp and time of day that pullets will lay at?

Not all will do it, each bird/flock is different. My previous chicks didn't even notice the nest boxes even after they started laying, my current ones have been playing in them and kicking around the golf balls.

Not sure why you keep asking about the temperature. While hot temperatures (like 95-100F+) can slow or stop laying, colder temperatures don't seem to affect anything.

 

[Chicken Chicken Love]

Nesting material can be almost anything you want, from wood shavings to straw to sand.

IMO best to axe the lights, though the flock might complain at first - animals, like humans, get better rest at night when it's dark.



Not all will do it, each bird/flock is different. My previous chicks didn't even notice the nest boxes even after they started laying, my current ones have been playing in them and kicking around the golf balls.

Not sure why you keep asking about the temperature. While hot temperatures (like 95-100F+) can slow or stop laying, colder temperatures don't seem to affect anything.

Why I was asking about the temp stuff is because it is still hot in Florida and I read that pullets will only start to lay at temperatures lower than 80. So I was wondering what your experiences are about what temperature is to hot for PULLETS to START laying.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Why I was asking about the temp stuff is because it is still hot in Florida and I read that pullets will only start to lay at temperatures lower than 80.

Nah, they'll lay when they're ready to lay. 80 is ok for them... they may start panting on and off at around 85 (I start offering extra water at that point). However if it's very hot it could affect everything from frequency to egg quality. But we rarely get into the 90s so it's not something I have regular exposure to here.