Nesting Box Question

[bigblueteach]

I currently have six 9 week old pullets, but planning ahead.

I have two nesting boxes in the coop but have them covered up so they can’t get into them and poop all over them. When do I need to make the nesting boxes available?

 

[nuthatched]

About 16 weeks.

 

[WingItRanch]

Agreed. Anytime after 15 weeks or you can wait until they start showing some signs they're close to Point of Lay. Bigger comb, reddening up.

 

[bigblueteach]

About 16 weeks.

Put some ceramic eggs in them?

 

[nuthatched]

Put some ceramic eggs in them?

Or golf balls, round rocks.
whatever is vaguely egg like

 

[rosemarythyme]

Or if they're roosting reliably already you can even open them now. I try to avoid covering nest boxes unless needed, I like giving the young birds ample time to explore the nests with fake eggs added in hopes that it encourages them to use them when the time comes.

 

[dearmeghann]

I'm the same as @rosemarythyme. If we notice the chicks wanting to get into the nesting boxes to sleep, we close it off for a bit. But if they're roosting, it's all open. I'm about to put some fake eggs in their coop shortly. We have two coops, so it'll be interesting if they have a preference for nesting boxes haha!

 

[Ridgerunner]

When do I need to make the nesting boxes available?

I would now for many different reasons.

The main concern is that they may sleep in the nests instead of on the roosts or somewhere else. If they sleep in the nests they will poop in the nests. We do not want that poop on the eggs. I totally agree with that. But if they are going to sleep in the nests I want to know that a long time before they start laying so I can correct where they sleep. If you wait until they are laying you may get poopy eggs while you are deciding how to fix the problem.

Many pullets start looking for a good place to lay a week or more before they start laying. Not all do but many do. If your nests are locked up when they are looking you may be training them to lay somewhere other than in your nests.

Part of that looking for a good nest often includes scratching in the nest area. If you find your nest bedding and maybe fake eggs scratched out onto the coop floor, you may need to modify your nests to make it harder for them to scratch out bedding, fake eggs, and real eggs. I'd want to know that before they start to lay, not after the eggs are scratched out and maybe broken.

The majority of time if your roosts are higher than the nests they will sleep on the roosts. But there are cases where some still sleep in the nests for different reasons. If you get some sleeping in the nests come back on here so we can discuss what is going on and come up with a fix.