Nest boxes

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daventony

daventony

Hatching
5 Years
Aug 18, 2014
9
0
9
I have 5 pullets in one coop with a run on it there are 2 nest boxes on the back of the coop is this enough for them all to lay eggs in it do I need more nest boxes ??

Also they are all sleeping in one nest box not on there perches in the coop is this normal or do I need to stop them doing this or will they stop them selfs or do I need a bigger coop any information any one can will a big help want my girls to be happy hens xx
 
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Glad you joined us!

The general rule of thumb is to have 1 nest box for every 3-5 hens, so I think you have enough. The fact that they are sleeping in their nest boxes is relatively normal for young birds, but if I were you, I would find a way to stop them from doing this. Otherwise, they may never think of the nests as a place to lay, and will instead consider it a sleeping area.
 
BantamLover21 said:
welcome-byc.gif
Glad you joined us!

The general rule of thumb is to have 1 nest box for every 3-5 hens, so I think you have enough. The fact that they are sleeping in their nest boxes is relatively normal for young birds, but if I were you, I would find a way to stop them from doing this. Otherwise, they may never think of the nests as a place to lay, and will instead consider it a sleeping area.
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X 2

A considerable amount of waste is produced and expelled through the night hours (my poop boards under the roost are evidence of this every morning) - if they are sleeping in the nest box that waste is going to be deposited in the nest box. Fecal matter is NOT the present you want them leaving for you in a nesting box - and once the eggs DO start to arrive you don't want them to do so on a bed of poo. It is best to either restrict access to the boxes at the time the birds are going in to settle for the night (to keep them from getting in) or to physically move them out of the box and onto the roost or the floor or wherever you ARE okay with them sleeping. They are creatures of habit, so after a few moves they will form the new habit of sleeping elsewhere and you won't need to continue to move them out of the boxes.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


It never hurts to have extra nest boxes in case somebody goes broody. But sounds like you have enough boxes for them. Keep a fake egg in each box to entice them to use both of them.

You need to block off the nest boxes at night so they don't sleep in them. The boxes are for laying only. You don't them to poop in the nest boxes. Close them off at night, open them during the day. You might go up at roosting time and physically get them on the bars for a couple nights. Eventually they will figure out what you want them to do. If you do it in the dark, they may help them stay on better.

Good luck with your flock and if you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good advice above, good luck with your flock!
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. You've been given some good advice by the other BYC members. Be sure that you have enough roosting bars, and that some of the roosting bars are higher than your nest boxes as it is natural for chickens to gravitate to the highest available spot for roosting. As far as the space in your coop, the general rule of thumb is 4 sq. ft. of floor space, minimum (more is better) for each bird. That means with 5 pullets, you should have a minimum of 20 sq. ft. of floor space in your coop (again, more is better). Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your chickens out of your nest boxes for roosting.
 
Hi can can anyone tell me if this is a cockerel as my friend seems to think it could be it dose seem bigger than others but it's not crowing in a morning or any part of day any information would be greatly received xx
400
 
Welcome to BYC!
frow.gif
We're glad to have you.

daventony said:
Hi can can anyone tell me if this is a cockerel as my friend seems to think it could be it dose seem bigger than others but it's not crowing in a morning or any part of day any information would be greatly received xx
Click to expand...

This bird is a pretty little pullet, not a rooster.
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