When to uncover nesting boxes, unknown ages

[lindseyawest]

Hi All, I'm a first time chickener - just got my flock of three chickens Friday; I will likely be picking up a couple of three month old Ameraucana's within the next few days (maybe even tonight) to integrate into my new flock. I put a piece of plywood over my nesting boxes before I got my chickens so the girls don't try and roost in there. The problem is that I'm not sure how old my chickens are and one of them might actually be a cockerel instead of a pullet. I do know that there's likely a significant age difference between both my Australorp and Production Red/NH (they look about the same - maybe 2.5-3 months) vs. my Barred Rock (which we think is 8-10 weeks and might be a cockerel anyway). So...when should I open up the nesting boxes? Thanks!

 

[AssortedChicks]

I think that at their age it would be a good idea to open the nesting boxes up.