What time shall i let them out of coop if encouraging them to lay in nest boxes in there?

[katiejanechicken]

I am trying to encourage my chickens to lay in their nest boxes, and we had our first egg the other day when it snowed and we kept chickens in the coop until midday. I block the nest boxes at night (they are attached to the coop) but when i unblocked them this morning at 7am, whilst simultaneously opening the door to the outside, the chickens left the coop completley and went about grazing.... completely ignoring the fake eggs I have put in there and the nest boxes completley.

How should i go about training them? is it ethical to leave the chickens in the coop with minimal light (it has a small window, if i open the roof they can fly out) to encourage egg laying in the nests until midday?

Or shall i just let my chickens run free and collect the eggs from around their outside pen?

We are in the UK so it is the end of winter at the moment so realise our chickens are young (22 weeks on average) and it is out of season.... but after our egg the other day, we wondered what to do to get them in good habits of where to lay, (and to start laying!) in the morning.

Thanks so much!

 

[rosemarythyme]

At 22 weeks, how many of your chickens are actually laying? And for how long have they been laying?

Have the chickens shown signs of visiting the nest boxes at all? They may not be aware that they're there, if not.

When I had a batch of pullets that couldn't figure it out on their own, this is what I did:

Now this isn't practical if you don't have time to stalk them, but what I did was I learned the problem bird(s) laying schedules, and when they went to their preferred spot to lay, I'd go and pick them up, stick them in a nest box, and barricade them in using my arms to cover the exit. 30-60 seconds was all they needed to calm down and start exploring the box and decide that maybe it wasn't such a bad place to be. They each started reliably using the boxes after that.

Alternatively, some folks design "doors" on their nest boxes so birds can be locked in, which basically does the same as above, but forces the bird to stay in the nest box (whereas once I see them exploring and sitting down in the nest, I leave them to it and walk away).

 

[cavemanrich]

Let me list some facts so it is easier to structure writing, instead of writhing a small handbook.

Your chickens just started egg laying. Let them run free, they will choose to return to nestbox where they feel comfortable,

Chickens lay egg on a 25 hour cycle. That means each day it will be 1 hour later. That is of course in an IDEAL UNIVERSE, so your results may vary.

You can not encourage a chicken to squeeze out an egg if chicken is not ready to lay. Keeping chicken locked up is not any way to overcome, and force chicken to lay.

Placing dummy eggs in nestboxes, does have a learning advantage for chickens. Golf balls work similarly. It is not a magnet of sorts.

If your roosts are well above your nestboxes, you should not need to block of your nestboxes overnight. I know it has been suggested countlessly here on forums. The problem with chickens sleeping inside nestboxes often has underlying reasons. Chickens may be cold, on a drafty roost. Chickens may be avoiding roosting with other mean chickens that peck on them. Overcrowding in coop, due to too small area for number of chickens.

Ask anything else, as we are here to offer advice.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[katiejanechicken]

Thanks so much for all of this advice. Can't believe how quick you guys get back!

It has been very cold (colder than even usual in the UK!) but today it has warmed up, so they chickens may have been cold, plus there has been a bit of pecking order establishment going on, so have seen some bullying going on.... this may be why some are choosing to sleep in the nest rather than on the roost. I think we will block off the nests tonight now the temperature has improved.

Have attached a picture of the coop from the ground... nest boxes either side.... is it too far for them to want to venture back in and lay? But thanks for the advice i will not be locking them in to lay!

Only one egg so only one hen is laying, and I have just been reminded that one is slightly older than the others (by a month or so), so this may be a big factor. However she has stopped laying since then. (perhaps the cold? or the stress of a new home?)

We will get the nest wooden eggs in there (how many should we put in each nest?))

And any other tips are so welcome! We love our new girls but as first time chicken owners all information is much appreciated and what a great community this is!
Thanks

katie

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks so much for all of this advice. Can't believe how quick you guys get back!

It has been very cold (colder than even usual in the UK!) but today it has warmed up, so they chickens may have been cold, plus there has been a bit of pecking order establishment going on, so have seen some bullying going on.... this may be why some are choosing to sleep in the nest rather than on the roost. I think we will block off the nests tonight now the temperature has improved.

Have attached a picture of the coop from the ground... nest boxes either side.... is it too far for them to want to venture back in and lay? But thanks for the advice i will not be locking them in to lay!

Only one egg so only one hen is laying, and I have just been reminded that one is slightly older than the others (by a month or so), so this may be a big factor. However she has stopped laying since then. (perhaps the cold? or the stress of a new home?)

We will get the nest wooden eggs in there (how many should we put in each nest?))

And any other tips are so welcome! We love our new girls but as first time chicken owners all information is much appreciated and what a great community this is!
Thanks

katie



View attachment 2505991

I'm sorry to have to say this, but that coop is terribly small for these chickens. They are probably sleeping in the nest boxes because there isn't anywhere else to go.

To keep them from sleeping in the nest boxes you need to give them roosts above the level of the nest boxes (with the ventilation above that), and they need at least 1 linear foot of roost per bird.

 

[cavemanrich]

katiejanechicken

I think you have a very nice coop. Yes it is small, but you are just starting out in chickens. In time you will learn, and you may decide to build an addition to what you already have. My personal suggestion in "addition" would also mean making it taller to be a walkin. That can be achieved by adding a larger base to what you already have. All that is down the road anyways. You are just starting chicken journey.
My suggestion is to not block off nest boxes since you do have small quarters. I can already imagine some readers when reading my response, but I can explain. Yes, some of the hens will drop chicken gumdrops inside nest. Then the layed eggs do get soiled. THAT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD,,,, It is just a little more maintenance on your part. You just need to maintain nests more often with fresh bedding.
I have picked up soiled eggs out of my coop. I personally wash all my eggs, and then refrigerate. I have never gotten sick from my eggs. I have many journeys around the sun. The last 20+, I have been eating my flock's eggs with no problems.
In different areas, there are different regulations on washed eggs, or eggs with bloom still on them. That applies just to eggs being SOLD. In your personal use, just do what you know as general good hygiene.
I always wash my hands after tending to my chickens in whatever I do.
I also wash my hands after cracking eggs into cooking recipe. (my eggs, or store purchased same)
Of course I wash my hands before dealing/touching food before I eat it.
Ounce of prevention is better than a ton of cure.
I use the term ton because on this side of the pond we use pound. To you pound sounds like this,, £ ,, and kilo just doesn't fit the phrase neatly.

Your run area looks well secured for the predators that are in your area. I know you don't have raccoons, but you do encounter fox. If your run is fox proof, you may be able to have chickens sleep outdoors during summer on roosts that are well elevated. Talk to some chicken owners in your area about their experiences with predators, and then make your decisions.
I see overhead netting to protect from flying raptors.