Quick question about laying/nesting

[TOMTE]

My pullets are about 12-13 weeks old. 2 SLW, 2 BSL, and possibly a SGE (likely some type of RSL), all from Family Farm & Home so probably bred for production

I know it'll be a little bit before they lay, at least a few weeks yet. I have the nesting boxes blocked off for now so they dont sleep and poop in them. When should I unblock them and add nesting material?

 

[FrostRanger]

I personally don't block them at all but probably about 15 weeks? If your roosts are higher than your nest boxes they hopefully shouldn't sleep in them at all

 

[TOMTE]

I personally don't block them at all but probably about 15 weeks? If your roosts are higher than your nest boxes they hopefully shouldn't sleep in them at all

Thanks!

They'd been sleeping in them when they were younger, before they could fly/jump up to the roosts, so I had to break them of that habit by blocking the nestboxes. They didn't even have bedding in them so the chicks were sleeping and pooping on bare wood They might not try to sleep in them anymore since they've been sleeping on the roosting bars for a couple months at this point

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I first started my flock with young chicks I never blocked the nests, never had a reason to. My roosts are higher than the nests and they never slept in the nests. I understand you had a different situation so blocking the nests was a good move. With an established flock it can be a bit more complicated when adding pullets. But luckily that is not your situation.

The earliest I've ever had a pullet start to lay was 16 weeks. That is rare but it happens. Sometimes it seems to come as a surprise to the pullet when that first egg drops but most can tell that an egg is coming. Often about a week before she lays that first egg she starts looking for a good place to lay. You will often see them going into the nests during the day, scratching around and checking them out. I want them to consider those nests as a possible place to lay so I'd want them open early rather than late.

Besides, they can tell you if you have a problem with your nests when they are scratching around in there. If your fake eggs or bedding winds up on the coop floor you probably need to raise the lip on the front of your nest. I like a lip of 4" to 5" so they aren't scratching out bedding, fake eggs, or real eggs. Some people can get by with a lot less than that.

If they are going to sleep in the nests I want to know while there is time to change that habit before I start getting poopy eggs. Like you did by blocking your nests. If I find a chicken sleeping in a nest when I'm locking up at night I pull it out and set it in a better place to sleep. It usually doesn't take long to get them used to sleeping somewhere else, especially if it is higher. I have enough roosts higher than the nests and spread out that there is a safe place available, even of some chickens want to bully them on the roosts.

Since yours are sleeping on the roosts now I'd open them up and see what happens. Go by what you see, not what you are afraid you might see.

 

[TOMTE]

When I first started my flock with young chicks I never blocked the nests, never had a reason to. My roosts are higher than the nests and they never slept in the nests. I understand you had a different situation so blocking the nests was a good move. With an established flock it can be a bit more complicated when adding pullets. But luckily that is not your situation.

The earliest I've ever had a pullet start to lay was 16 weeks. That is rare but it happens. Sometimes it seems to come as a surprise to the pullet when that first egg drops but most can tell that an egg is coming. Often about a week before she lays that first egg she starts looking for a good place to lay. You will often see them going into the nests during the day, scratching around and checking them out. I want them to consider those nests as a possible place to lay so I'd want them open early rather than late.

Besides, they can tell you if you have a problem with your nests when they are scratching around in there. If your fake eggs or bedding winds up on the coop floor you probably need to raise the lip on the front of your nest. I like a lip of 4" to 5" so they aren't scratching out bedding, fake eggs, or real eggs. Some people can get by with a lot less than that.

If they are going to sleep in the nests I want to know while there is time to change that habit before I start getting poopy eggs. Like you did by blocking your nests. If I find a chicken sleeping in a nest when I'm locking up at night I pull it out and set it in a better place to sleep. It usually doesn't take long to get them used to sleeping somewhere else, especially if it is higher. I have enough roosts higher than the nests and spread out that there is a safe place available, even of some chickens want to bully them on the roosts.

Since yours are sleeping on the roosts now I'd open them up and see what happens. Go by what you see, not what you are afraid you might see.

Thank you! We don't have any nesting material yet, can I use their bedding (pine shavings for now, switching to wood pellets when we're able) until we get some? I'm cleaning the coop today so this is very helpful advise atm

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can use what you wish. Some of the things people on this forum use for bedding in nests include hay, straw, wood shavings, wood chips, Spanish moss, pellets, carpet, rags, dried grass clippings, feed bags, and who knows what else. I cut tall grass from places I do not mow or weed eat and dry that. No matter what you use someone will tell you that something else is better but all of these are used.

 

[FrostRanger]

You can use what you wish. Some of the things people on this forum use for bedding in nests include hay, straw, wood shavings, wood chips, Spanish moss, pellets, carpet, rags, dried grass clippings, feed bags, and who knows what else. I cut tall grass from places I do not mow or weed eat and dry that. No matter what you use someone will tell you that something else is better but all of these are used.

I agree, as long as it's soft and not harmful to the birds, it doesn't make much difference at all

 

[TOMTE]

Coop's cleaned and nest boxes are open!

 

[Mrs. K]

A hint that I use and really like, is to line the nests with cardboard, then bedding. If you get a broken egg, or other mess, you can just lift out the whole mess. Works for me.