Lots of Questions

[kplchicken]

I am still very new to this chicken thing and I have found that I have a few questions. I am thankful for any help at all. I have three ~17 week olds. One is a pearl while leghorn, one buff minorca and one beautiful and gregarious Delaware.

1. When I built the coop and run for our girls a nest box area was built into it. Was I supposed to keep them out of this area until they were ready to lay? Because they sleep in there and it gets full of poop and now I am not sure if I should provide some other place or block this one off for a while or what.

2. I live in southern Arizona where it is quite warm. At what point should I close the coop door and windows at night? How cold is too cold for chickens?

3. It seems that my leghorn has a bit of what I would call a booboo on her beak. It is a little hole but it doesn't go through her beak. I assume that she was pecked by one of her sisters- is this normal?

4. How long does it take for them to establish the pecking order? Should that be done by now?

and last but not least....

5. WHEN AM I GOING TO GET AN EGG???

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[arlee453]

Block off the nest box and don't let them sleep there. If they are not broken of the habit, you will have a lot of very dirty eggs when they start laying.

They usually start laying somewhere around 19-20 weeks, depending on the individual and breed.

HTH!
Susan

 

[gretchen]

I too, let my girls sleep in the nests... whoops, who knew? So I blocked them out with blown up bags... they popped them, then I blocked them with paper, they broke through, then I stapled dish rags over, they moved to the floor, I changed my roosts from Closet poles to branches and up they went and now they are sleeping on the roosts. I took the rags off the same day one started laying (pheew). Before I blocked the boxes I tried moving them at night but it was so hard and they would just go back by morning.

I live in Vermont, very cold, I have a totally predator proof run so I just make sure they get to the run at night and shut them in the run, but leave the coop open so they can get out in the morning. I leave the windows closed this time of year but the coop chicken door open, until it gets below freezing, then I shut it up at night. they are pretty hardy little animals.

Eggs, ahh the waiting game sucks, I think the average is 18-22 weeks. I had 2 lay at 18 weeks , one at 22, waiting on the rest at 24... it depends on the bird.

 

[kplchicken]

Thanks for the info.
What's HTH?

 

[Dawn419]

Quote:
It's short for Hope This Helps...

Dawn