Question about nesting boxes and 3 week old chicks

[mmtillman]

I recently introduced my 25 girls to the ''big house''....still with a heat lamp of course....
I was afraid they might try to ''roost'' in the nesting boxes , so I covered them with a sheet of cardboard, till they are old enough to use them??

Did I do right?? I though I read to do this once?

Do I need to let them 'experience' the nest boxes at 3 weeks of age?? For practice?

When should I let them have access to them? I dont want them to sleep in them. But I dont want them layin on the floor either??

Right now they are sleeping under the heat lamp and up on the shorter roost we made for them.

Any advice on this would be appreciated!! Thanks!!

 

[sonew123]

I threw mine in with nesting boxes on the floor-They are 8 weeks old now...been i there for about a week-when they are a little bigger and in the coop...the nesting box will go on the walls-I have never read that it is not good for them to go in that little-???

 

[PacsMan]

I've read several places to cover your nest boxes until they are ready to lay. If you don't they will get used to sleeping and pooping in there. Neither are good.

 

[chickenfever]

I don't know what you are Supposed to do, but what I did was wait and put the nesting boxes in when mine were about 16 weeks old. I didn't want them thinking the nesting boxes were for roosting and pooping in. This seemed to work really well, once the boxes were in there I never saw a chicken go into them until I got my first egg.

 

[mmtillman]

Thanks everyone! Guess I will hold off letting them in them till they are old enough to lay ...which is ......?? That was my next question...

 

[chickenfever]

I would say you could expect eggs around 21 weeks on average. Maybe a couple weeks sooner for those leghorns.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
This is soooo true. I hate poopy eggs. The average time for them to start laying is 20 to 24 weeks. I had a couple that started at 17 weeks.

 

[*GEL*]

Okay - I think you all just answered a question I was getting ready to ask. I have 2 hens that are new to me and their surroundings. I have had them for approx 1 week and they are approx 18 mos old. They have started sleeping together in ONE nest box - and as result there is now poo in it. We have a huge roost built w/ 2x2s and they have never been on it that I can tell......no poop under it, no shavings knocked off the lower rungs where I 'accidentally' put them to see if they were knocked off....lol. I did not know until today reading this that they should not be in their nests at night (I am totally new to all of this - I was just happy they finally found the nests....lol.....) But now I'm wondering if when I go out tonight to shut up the coop if I should put something in the nests and then help them onto the roost?? Any advice greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[Snakeoil]

What PacsMan said.....