When Do Chickens Start Laying, and how do you teach them to lay in nest boxes

[I Love Layers]

Okay so I have 5 Ameracaunas, 5 California Whites, 3 Plymouth Rocks, 2 Wyandotte, and I'm wondering when they will start laying, they should be about a month and a half old, and how I should get then to lay in Roll Away Nest Boxes I have 10, and they are all connected with roosts so they can get in. It was made in a factory maybe some 40 years ago, and I got it from my grandparents. I have older hens who lay, and they sit in the nest boxes at night. So how can I get my chicks to understand that they cannot sit in the boxes at night and they have to sit on the roosts. I also have some rafters that my older Americaunas like sitting on, and 2 other roasts.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

The whites should start laying around 16-18 weeks and the others will start later - 20 or 22 weeks. The connected roosts to the boxes are probably what is making them sleep in them. Do you have any other roosts for them?

 

[I Love Layers]

Yep I have 2 other roosts plus rafters. I need to find a board for the top set of boxes to go across them since it has hooks for the board, but the for the bottom one your supposed to use the roost

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I would block the nesting boxes at night so they can't get in them. Unblocking them in the morning of course so they can lay.

 

[I Love Layers]

Funny, there was a board that came with it to block the top off, and I was by our wood pile looking for something to use for blocking the roost off, and here I found the board LOL

 

[I Love Layers]

How should I teach the chicks to lay in the nest bixes

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Put some fake eggs or golf balls in the nesting box to encourage them. Having the nesting boxes available at such a young age helps too.

 

[aart]

I don't think fake eggs will work in roll away nests....but the chicks should learn from the older hens using the nests where to lay.

Why are your older hens sleeping in the nest boxes?
How many hens and how much roost length do you have?
Take the hens out of the nests and put them on the roosts, break that habit.

 

[I Love Layers]

I don't think fake eggs will work in roll away nests....but the chicks should learn from the older hens using the nests where to lay.

Why are your older hens sleeping in the nest boxes?
How many hens and how much roost length do you have?
Take the hens out of the nests and put them on the roosts, break that habit.

I have no idea why the older hens are sleeping in the boxes
I have 10 hens and 3 rooster, and all of the roosts together should be about 30 feet long.
I could use my ducks eggs for the rollaway nest box, since those eggs would probably be to big to roll away

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I don't think fake eggs will work in roll away nests....but the chicks should learn from the older hens using the nests where to lay.

Why are your older hens sleeping in the nest boxes?
How many hens and how much roost length do you have?
Take the hens out of the nests and put them on the roosts, break that habit.

Quote: Oops, forgot they were roll away! I agree with aart...put them on the roosts to break the habit.