New to chickens, have a few questions

[Delani J]

Hi there, I’m new to having hens. I have 4 mature easter eggers that are 13 months old. I’ve had them now a week and they haven’t started laying. I can appreciate the fact that they’re just getting used to the environment and are stressed, I just want to make sure I’m not missing something crucial and make sure that their environment is as safe and inviting as possible.
I have a small coop with an 8x4ft run. The coop is slightly elevated about a foot off the ground with 2 nesting boxes. In the coop I have 2 roosts with pine shavings all around. A couple of them like to sleep in the nesting boxes whereas the others sleep on the roosts. During the night they poop in the nesting boxes so I clean it out every morning. I’m used to owning dogs and know they don’t like sleeping (or are at all comfortable) where they poop. I’m not sure if chickens are the same way to where they sleep or if it makes them more comfortable. I also have noticed they do not use the container with their dust bath in it and prefer the ground, however the ground isn’t yet turned to soil and is just grass so this doesn’t do much. I thought maybe they weren’t comfortable with the container and it would be more natural if i just put the dust bath right onto the ground, haven’t noticed them use it yet. Lastly, It’s about 17-20 degrees outside currently with lots of sun. I’m wondering if maybe they are overheated. If this is normal at this temperature, would it be a good idea to bolt a safe secure fan in their coop or on the outside of their coop?
I know this is a lot if information, I just have so many questions! I love animals and only want them to be healthy and happy! Hope you guys could shed some light on some of my questions.
thank you!

 

[chickenlittle21]

They are probably just still adjusting. What are you feeding them?

 

[aart]

A couple of them like to sleep in the nesting boxes whereas the others sleep on the roosts.

Might not be enough roost room for 4 birds?
Or only reason 2 are on roosts is because the 2 nests are occupied.
Roost are best higher than nests, and have 12" of length for each bird.
Posting some pics of you r coop and run, inside and out, would help here.

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @Delani J
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Delani J]

They are probably just still adjusting. What are you feeding them?

I feed them both HI-PRO layer pellet and scratch grain

 

[Delani J]

Might not be enough roost room for 4 birds?
Or only reason 2 are on roosts is because the 2 nests are occupied.
Roost are best higher than nests, and have 12" of length for each bird.
Posting some pics of you r coop and run, inside and out, would help here.

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @Delani J
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2091450

Very helpful thank you! I live in southwest British Columbia, Canada. The 2 roosts are the same height as the laying boxes. I cans see if I can raise them. I’ll take some pictures and add them.

 

[Phillyndilly]

The first chickens we got are rescues from a friend that got in trouble for having them. He told us they lay like clock work every day....None of them layed but one and that went on for about 6 months maybe longer. Now they all lay I felt like they were very very comfortable with us, but I guess it really takes them long to adjust.
We have a lot of room, big coops, plenty of roosts, proper food, oyster shells freely available. So it really may just take them a while.
I would get crushed oyster shells for them and put them in a bowl or container and leave it out they will eat them if they need them.
Mine also use the ground for dust bathing and not their containers lol. I would just throw some sand in the ground for them they’ll dig it out eventually grass shouldn’t stop them.

 

[Bert96746]

You could put ceramic eggs in the nest boxes so they know that's where they should lay their eggs. Also how big is the coop itself? And is there room to add more roosts?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I know they're new but you really don't want them sleeping in the nest boxes. Yes, photos of the interior will help. My guess is this is a prefab coop with roosts that are just a couple inches off the floor, and perhaps too close together or to a wall, which makes them less appealing to the birds.

Blocking off nest boxes at night can help, but only if there's actually enough usable roost space for all the birds to roost.

 

[aart]

I feed them both HI-PRO layer pellet and scratch grain

The 20% formula?
How much scratch in a day?

 

[Delani J]

The first chickens we got are rescues from a friend that got in trouble for having them. He told us they lay like clock work every day....None of them layed but one and that went on for about 6 months maybe longer. Now they all lay I felt like they were very very comfortable with us, but I guess it really takes them long to adjust.
We have a lot of room, big coops, plenty of roosts, proper food, oyster shells freely available. So it really may just take them a while.
I would get crushed oyster shells for them and put them in a bowl or container and leave it out they will eat them if they need them.
Mine also use the ground for dust bathing and not their containers lol. I would just throw some sand in the ground for them they’ll dig it out eventually grass shouldn’t stop them.

This is very helpful, thank you! Their food has oyster shells in it. I could still add a bowl of crushed oyster shells if it’s not enough.