- Mar 29, 2010
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I am new to raising chickens and eagerly awaiting my first eggs. I need help troubleshooting and figuring out if I need to change something or just be more patient.
We finished our coop about 2 weeks ago and adopted 4 hens (two pairs from different owners) just over a week ago. They established a pecking order pretty much right away and have been getting along for about a week now. Still, that's a big change for them and maybe they are still adjusting.
I believe they had all stopped laying for the winter, but since arriving with us they have been getting 16 hours of light per day. They are eating well and living like queens, but maybe that's not enough time to stimulate them back into production.
Finally, our coop is 4' tall, 6' wide, and 4' deep. Facing the coop, the bottom-left 1/6th is devoted to storage, which left a big shelf 2' up. We partitioned off half of it for a nesting box and left the other half for a landing they could use to hop up to the roost. The landing leads right into the nest box, so they are both on the upper level of the coop. I can post a picture if my description isn't clear.
My concern is that the nesting box, while raised from the floor of the coop, is basically a cave on the same level as the landing. As such, maybe it doesn't feel safe enough to my hens. On the other hand, even if they don't like the nesting box but are ready to lay, they should be dropping eggs somewhere else, right? Or will they shut down production without a good nest?
In other words, should I be worried about my nesting box design? should I be worried about my chickens? Or do I just need to chill out and give them more time?
We finished our coop about 2 weeks ago and adopted 4 hens (two pairs from different owners) just over a week ago. They established a pecking order pretty much right away and have been getting along for about a week now. Still, that's a big change for them and maybe they are still adjusting.
I believe they had all stopped laying for the winter, but since arriving with us they have been getting 16 hours of light per day. They are eating well and living like queens, but maybe that's not enough time to stimulate them back into production.
Finally, our coop is 4' tall, 6' wide, and 4' deep. Facing the coop, the bottom-left 1/6th is devoted to storage, which left a big shelf 2' up. We partitioned off half of it for a nesting box and left the other half for a landing they could use to hop up to the roost. The landing leads right into the nest box, so they are both on the upper level of the coop. I can post a picture if my description isn't clear.
My concern is that the nesting box, while raised from the floor of the coop, is basically a cave on the same level as the landing. As such, maybe it doesn't feel safe enough to my hens. On the other hand, even if they don't like the nesting box but are ready to lay, they should be dropping eggs somewhere else, right? Or will they shut down production without a good nest?
In other words, should I be worried about my nesting box design? should I be worried about my chickens? Or do I just need to chill out and give them more time?
