Should I remove nesting boxes? 5.5 months too early?

[chicamama]

We, they like the boxes, but no eggs (yet). Mostly they are sleeping on their roosts. Should I take the boxes back out for another month?

Also, straw vs. Shavings? DH thinks straw will be better for our composting rather than the shavings.

 

[farm_mom]

There's no harm in leaving the nest boxes if they're not sleeping and pooping in them. I've had eggs as early as 16 weeks, so hopefully it won't be long now!

We use straw, and really enjoy the benefits it brings to the garden. We have a large patch that we garden directly into our clay soil (the rest of our garden is raised beds) and the old bird bedding really helps ammend and aerate the soil when tilled in. Good Luck!

 

[raindrop]

Don't worry, just leave them in. You never know, the first egg may come tomorrow!
Mine have had the nest boxes since they were 4 weeks old, I just store stacks of egg cartons in there until they are 5 months old to keep them from learning to roost in the boxes.

You want the boxes in there when they start to lay so they start off laying in the right place and don't get used to laying on the floor. Then you will have dirty, yucky eggs!