New to Chickens! Questions about my new hens!

[JessWebb]

Hello all! Two nights ago I brought our hens home - one white chantecler, one partridge chantecler and a gold laced wyandotte. This morning I found three eggs in the coop already! BUT - they were not in the nesting box but were laying underneath the roosts AND one had a very soft shell. Here are my questions - Is this normal behaviour for hens in a new house? How can I entice them to lay in the nesting box (what materials work best? should I mark these first eggs and put them in the nesting box?)? Also - the youngest recently started laying - do they start off soft and get better as they lay more? or do I need to up the calcium? Thank you so much! This website is amazing!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hello all! Two nights ago I brought our hens home - one white chantecler, one partridge chantecler and a gold laced wyandotte. This morning I found three eggs in the coop already! BUT - they were not in the nesting box but were laying underneath the roosts AND one had a very soft shell. Here are my questions - Is this normal behaviour for hens in a new house? How can I entice them to lay in the nesting box (what materials work best? should I mark these first eggs and put them in the nesting box?)? Also - the youngest recently started laying - do they start off soft and get better as they lay more? or do I need to up the calcium? Thank you so much! This website is amazing!

Hi and welcome!
Yes, this all falls under the "entirely normal" category. In a new setting, they are not really sure of where to lay - you can use golf balls, etc to "bait" your nest boxes. I prefer not to use intact eggs because if there is breakage you have a nasty nest box and run the risk of then starting an egg eating habit. If you have not already, you will want to provide free-choice oyster shell to supplement the calcium needs of your birds - shelling an egg takes an incredible amount of calcium from their bodies. This and some time to mature will help clear up the soft egg issue, and, yes, it is most likely the new layer.
Also, don't be surprised if you see them stop laying for a bit in the next couple of days - the eggs you have gotten now were "in the pipe" so to speak when they were moved, but the upheaval of the move can often take them out of lay for bit.

 

[JessWebb]

So interesting! Thank you for answering my questions and for the advice! I am finding this whole experience so fascinating! What is the best thing to use in the nesting box?

 

[RonP]

Copied from another query:

My setup-

Nesting boxes - shredded paper - free and easy to replace when soiled. I keep a garbage bag full close by to replenish.

Coop floor - kiln dried large pine shavings - 8 to 12 inches deep - changed out once per year, dumped into run.

Run floor - wood chips, used pine shavings, dried leaves, yard waste, and basically anything biodegradable - free - 8 - 24 inches deep - composted black gardeners gold gets kicked out of 1/2 hardware fencing and disappears. Level seems to remain constant. Chickens love to dig craters and distribute it for me. I just routinely dump a garbage can full of "browns" into the run. Haven't cleaned it, ever. No mud, bugs, or smell.