4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[attenbhp]

So... I'm new to this.

 

I have the eglu cube, and 6 chickens - 3 Pepperpots, 3 Gingernut Rangers - and they're getting along just fine.

And I'm waiting patiently for the first egg to appear, realising it may take a while.

 

My concern is, all but one are sleeping in the nesting box part of the cube, and the one that isn't clearly wants to. It all looks ver cosy, but is this habit going to cause me problems when they start laying? leading to huge amounts of poop and broken eggs?

 

When do chickens lay eggs, anyway? do they lay them at night, or only during the day?

[Egluntyne]

Welcome aboard.

 

They lay their eggs during the day.

 

Maybe you could block the nesting box off to get them accustomed to using the roosting bars.

 

Trouble is, you would have to be up with the lark to open it up again in case one of them wants to lay an early egg.

[cathychic]

Mine did this to start with, all trying to squash into the nesting boxes. But 2 months later and they all perch in the main coop and dont go into the nesting boxes accept to lay during the day. I think it is comfort for them to squash into the darkest cosiest place to start with, but once they get used to their new home they will do what their supposed to. So I shouldnt worry too much.

[attenbhp]

Thanks for your advice.

 

It sounds like nothing to worry about now. I'll keep watching them and see what happens when they (finally) start laying.

[chucknette]

Hi

 

When I first got my girls they all liked to sleep in the nesting box, I think it was because they were young and it was what they were used to.

 

Once they started to lay they all slept on the roosting bars and only used the box for eggs.

 

As to when they lay their eggs mine lay between 10 and 12 in the mornings but having said that I have one pepperpot that likes to lay at 3 in the afternoon.

 

Hope this helps

[chucknette]

Sorry, I ment that they are all used to smooshing together and not used to sleeping in the nest box

[Hen Watch]

I have one who sleeps in the nest box. My eglu door is locked at night, and if the others want to lay before I open the eglu at 7am, they just turf her out and lay an egg. It doesn't get broken and some mornings I can find 3 eggs sitting there before I've even let them out. Other days, nothing until lunchtime.

 

On the downside I do have to flick poop out of the nestbox but I don't really mind. I put auboise bedding in the box and it soaks a bit (but not all) of the poop up.