I have seven, nine week old pullets. I haven't put the nest box in their coop yet but was wondering when is a good time to due so. Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
I waited until all of mine were confirmed in roosting only on the roosts (at about 13-16 weeks) and were starting to show some "point of lay" signs: red combs and wattles, squatting for me when I approached and, oh yeah, my little roo jumping on them (in an amorous way!) The reason for this is that you don't want them to get in the habit of sleeping or roosting IN the nests, which makes for very messy and sometimes broken eggs. I put some fake eggs in the nests, and sure enough, this has worked well. No one sleeps in the nest (it's lower than the roosts) and they've laid their little eggs in there from the get-go.
Thanks all! That sounds like good advise. That they would just roost in the boxes and make a mess was my concern.
Mine were there from the very start. They are lower than the roosts so no worries about sleeping in there. The only time we had sleepers in there was a) when esther was broody and refused to leave and b)when we let her stay in the nesting area with the chicks. No one really messes with the nesting area...they jump in and lay and leave lol Its on floor level but in an elevated coop so its about my waist level. Its also a long communal box since we had girls that would want to lay eggs together at the same time. Fits 4-5 hens at once The babies are 8 weeks old, and I put the cloth down over the nesting boxes...(I have it cut into strips to keep the light down in there)...and they walk in to explore and look around but they dont stay long. Just wander in and look at the egg and go Oh...hmmm ok and then leave lol
