With so much emphasis on the new chicks, you'd think our laying hens would get the short end of the stick. But not at our house. We still love to go outside and visit with them and they still get almost daily treats. Although I don't think they'd really mind if we didn't visit as much. They've been enjoying our unseasonably warm weather and spent most of yesterday dust bathing in my garden; which is soon going to have to be fenced off so I can start growing veggies and herbs.
With the longer days of Spring, it became apparent that our laying hens needed new nest boxes. (Egg production is based on light, so Spring is when production increases.) We purchased "Building Chicken Coops for Dummies" and used some of the ideas from the book to make new nest boxes. The nice thing is they cost us nothing since we used leftover scrap pieces we already had. We made three boxes and will probably add a fourth or fifth once the new chicks get up and running.
If you're thinking of making nest boxes, or buying them, don't forget the rule of 3 to 5 chickens per box. My tip for the boxes is to make sure to fill them with lots of comfortable bedding, it really helps to keep the eggs clean. Also, don't forget to put a few plastic eggs into the new boxes to encourage the ladies to use them.