Hello everybody! I know I could join a Chicken forum, but I will see if I can get answers here first. Me and my sister are interested in getting laying hens next year, probably 3 or 4 of them. I have a lot of questions, so please answer what you can! 
1. What is a good grit for laying hens? I have heard many different things, and it's confusing me, so tell me, what do you use for grit? We would like to get adult chickens, if that's possible.
2. We don't need a rooster, right? We're not looking to breed them...Is 3 or 4 hens...Is there any problem with that?
3. Aspen shavings are okay for nesting, right? And we have a really big coop, like 8 by 7 feet, or something. Do I need to section some of it off or anything if there's territorial issues? (I know I know nothing about chickens, but I'm learning XD)
4. I've seen lots of different nesting boxes. I've seen where it's one big box with no dividers, and then fancy boxes that are stacked and looks like a dollhouse, with dividers. What is the best nesting box?
I might come up with more questions, so be prepared! :P
I got so excited when I saw this thread!!! If you didn't know, I looooooove CHICKENS!!!!!! So ask away! I could talk about chickens for hours and hours and hours and hours (you get the point :laughing).
1. Grit can usually be just sand or dirt. If you are planning to give your chickens plenty of outdoor and free-ranging time it isn't necessary to provide grit, as they will find it themselves. If you are talking about food, the food size I like best is definitely the crumbles. My chickens love the crumbles. They seem to lay and eat the best when I feed them that size. The pellets my chickens don't seem to like as much. And the mash is just a total mess. XD Usually mash is sold for mainly chicks. Another good thing to put out is you might want to supplement their food with mealworms, oyster shell, scratch, etc. You might not need to give this to them if they have a really healthy food mix. Oyster shell helps give your hens a calcium boost for strong egg shells and healthy bones. Laying hens who don't get enough calcium can make thin shelled eggs, shell-less eggs, irregular shaped eggs, etc. Keep in mind too much calcium is hard on the chickens kidneys, and should be given in moderation. Mealworms give your hens a protein boost. It takes a lot of protein to make an egg. I usually give my chickens scratch just for something to have fun digging at and finding. I could go a lot more into nutrition, but this post is already getting long. 
2. Roosters can make a flock safer and happier but, you do not need a rooster. Generally you only want a rooster if you have at least 9-10 hens. If you only have 3 or 4, the rooster could peck and try to mate with them way too much. This can be stressful and painful to the hen. The mating process is painful and involves pulling on the hen's neck feathers.
3. Aspen shavings are fine! You can also use straw, hay, hemp shavings, pine shavings, dirt, and wood chips. There shouldn't be too much territorial issues if you have enough space per bird. The general recommendation is at least 10 square feet per bird, and they can live perfectly fine in that much space. I personally recommend at least 20 square feet per bird. I find it easier to keep the pecking order under control if they are all raised together since they were chicks. Although it can be done, it can be tricky to introduce newbies to an already developed flock. One thing I would do to keep more peace, is too have an unlimited food supply. Chickens won't really overeat and having limited food each day can just cause problems. You might want to take the food in at night though if you don't want birds or other small animals stealing the food. If the pecking is getting out of control (bald spots ((not when molting)), blood, feather pulling, etc) you should separate the one being picked on if she is injured. If the dominant hen just seems too power crazy, you can take her away from the rest of the flock for a day or two, and then return her. Then she will be considered a newbie and won't be at the top anymore.
4. There really isn't a best nesting box. It really can be anything! You can do one of those fancy ones, or you can go the lazy way (which I did). I made my nesting boxes out of a bucket turned on its side. Some of them have a wood stand drilled to the bottom to keep from rolling away, and have a little wall at the entrance to keep the bedding in. The other nesting boxes are literally a bucket turned on its side, with just a little wood plank placed on the ground next to both sides to keep it from rolling away. LOL. I have also made a temporary box out of a cardboard box. Tomorrow I will take pictures, and show you my nesting boxes.
If you have any more questions at all, please ask!! I love chickens so much, and love talking about them. A chicken forum I would recommend is Backyard Chickens. You can also PM me with any questions! 
Edited by Tangothehamster, 13 October 2018 - 01:55 PM.
