Australorps breed Thread

[Gramma Chick]

Yep curtains! With 3,000 posts I would think you would have heard of chicken curtains. There are some people who use them on the front of their nest boxes with great results on production.

Some Hens like Privacy ..

...when I open the nest box ..they look at me like WHAT are you doing ?
They like it better dark

 

[ronott1]

Some Hens like Privacy ..

...when I open the nest box ..they look at me like WHAT are you doing ?
They like it better dark

They will have less of a tendency to break the eggs too.

 

[Birdrain92]

I've just never heard of it before but now I just got a chicken curtain 101. My nesting boxes are open. My roost is on the other side of my nesting boxes.

 

[Gramma Chick]

I've just never heard of it before but now I just got a chicken curtain 101. My nesting boxes are open. My roost is on the other side of my nesting boxes.

Ive had it both ways we had them open at first


When we enlarged our coop ..we put the nesting boxes inside our 1st coop...the back is open in this picture

 

[bruceha2000]

My second pullets laid her first egg today!!

Any tips on how to get them to lay in the nest box tho?? So far they have just been laid on the floor of the coop...?

I have a fake egg in it so other than that...??
TIA

Congrats!

The first of my 2012 girls laid her first egg out by the waterer. I think the egg was a surprise to her (and why wouldn't it be??). After that she hit the nest as have all the "first timers" since.

Have your girls checked out the nest boxes at all? Along with Kurt's questions about the accessibility, etc, you could try putting them in the nest box (assuming you don't have to traumatize them) so they can see the possibilities. Especially since it is obviously a safe place to lay, the fake chicken already laid a fake egg in there to show that

Yep curtains! With 3,000 posts I would think you would have heard of chicken curtains. There are some people who use them on the front of their nest boxes with great results on production.

Each hen is an individual. Granted it is somewhat dim in my coop most of the day in general given it is in the barn alley on the west side of the lower shed part of the barn. No light from the east and other than light from the windows on the west side of the alley 8' from the coop wall, little other light. But:
I have an open 3 nest box in the coop very similar to Gramma's first picture and a closed - REALLY dark 4' long community box. Of my 16 layers, only the 2 Anconas use the closed box regularly and even they will sometimes use the open boxes. It was the first box I had so all the 2012 girls initially had no choice. But given a choice of "really dark" or "open box" they all chose to go open. And none of the 2015 girls have laid in the community, not even when all the open boxes were in use. They wait.

What I can't figure out with the curtain thing is: How does an arriving hen know which box is available if they can't see inside? They can see (and get quite the scream from) a hen in an open box. I can't imagine the fuss the occupant would make if an arriving hen stuck her face in the curtains since there is no "occupied" sign.

 

[Birdrain92]

Congrats!

The first of my 2012 girls laid her first egg out by the waterer. I think the egg was a surprise to her (and why wouldn't it be??). After that she hit the nest as have all the "first timers" since.

Have your girls checked out the nest boxes at all? Along with Kurt's questions about the accessibility, etc, you could try putting them in the nest box (assuming you don't have to traumatize them) so they can see the possibilities. Especially since it is obviously a safe place to lay, the fake chicken already laid a fake egg in there to show that

Each hen is an individual. Granted it is somewhat dim in my coop most of the day in general given it is in the barn alley on the west side of the lower shed part of the barn. No light from the east and other than light from the windows on the west side of the alley 8' from the coop wall, little other light. But:
I have an open 3 nest box in the coop very similar to Gramma's first picture and a closed - REALLY dark 4' long community box. Of my 16 layers, only the 2 Anconas use the closed box regularly and even they will sometimes use the open boxes. It was the first box I had so all the 2012 girls initially had no choice. But given a choice of "really dark" or "open box" they all chose to go open. And none of the 2015 girls have laid in the community, not even when all the open boxes were in use. They wait.

What I can't figure out with the curtain thing is: How does an arriving hen know which box is available if they can't see inside? They can see (and get quite the scream from) a hen in an open box. I can't imagine the fuss the occupant would make if an arriving hen stuck her face in the curtains since there is no "occupied" sign.

My hens will lift their heads over the edge to see if it's occupied.

 

[holm25]

I really like how big this Aussie Welsummer cross roo has gotten. Hoping to cross him back over some Aussie hens and get some amazing layers!

 

[appps]

My hens will lift their heads over the edge to see if it's occupied.

I don't have curtains but my box is very dark. If they are anything like mine they won't care if it's occupied and just shove their way in or in my poor silkies case just sit on top of whoever is already in there lol

 

[RattlesnakeRidgeWV]

holm,
Good luck, that should be some interesting genetic mix. Send us pics, he is a good looking boy.
Kurt

 

[holm25]

holm,
Good luck, that should be some interesting genetic mix. Send us pics, he is a good looking boy.
Kurt

Thanks Kurt!!!