Good day everyone! I have some barred rocks that will be 4 months old on August 15th. I assume they will be laying soon but it is very hot here, will that delay their laying? Also, I have a coop and nesting boxes that I am going to put some hay in this weekend, but most of my chickens choose to sleep in the barn with the goats, not the coop. Will they naturally go back into the coop to lay? A few of them still sleep in the coop (i shut them in at night for safety of course). There is really nowhere for them to lay eggs in the barn because there is no hay (my goats are on pasture/woods). I am ready for some eggs! I have had chickens before but its been a number of years so I am not remembering when the other ones started laying.
ironhardempress
age for laying (barred rocks)
They generally start laying 20-24 weeks. The heat may or may not affect them. They may or may not go into the coop to lay since they don't spend time in there.
I would start rounding them up and putting them in the coop at night. Start feeding them in the coop it makes them go in the coop at night easier. Chickens don't "need" hay nor straw to lay. The will lay on the bare ground if that is where they are comfortable. Once they know what they coop is and that is is safe, they will likely go back there to lay.
All of mine have a nice coop. And they lay anywhere they can squat!🤷♀️🤦♀️ I have nesting boxes, and mine will lay next to it, not it in. Oooo and they love to nest in my goat feeders! 🤣😂
^^^^that!
I usually start getting a few small eggs around 4 months but they generally don't get regular until 6. My husband built ours a beautiful chicken "condo". Most of them do lay in the boxes but some like the kid pen, some the manger and others wherever they feel like dropping them.
One rooster stole 3 hens and takes them way back into a storage shed (where we can't reach them) at night. That's kind of comical since they lay eggs back there but the wall is rotted so we can reach the them.
I usually start getting a few small eggs around 4 months but they generally don't get regular until 6. My husband built ours a beautiful chicken "condo". Most of them do lay in the boxes but some like the kid pen, some the manger and others wherever they feel like dropping them.
One rooster stole 3 hens and takes them way back into a storage shed (where we can't reach them) at night. That's kind of comical since they lay eggs back there but the wall is rotted so we can reach the them.
I only have 2 roosters, one tends to keep his 3 hens down by the barn, but they do all come into my yard where the coop/food is.
They also clean up spilled grains from the goat feed troughs.
Even tho those 3 come into the yard to roost in the evenings, every morning the 4 of them (3 hens and the roo) march down the driveway to to the goat pen and barn to lay their eggs 😂
They also clean up spilled grains from the goat feed troughs.
Even tho those 3 come into the yard to roost in the evenings, every morning the 4 of them (3 hens and the roo) march down the driveway to to the goat pen and barn to lay their eggs 😂
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