2 month old chickens sharing a nesting box

Kristinah

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This was too cute not to share. All 8 of them cram into one nesting box at bed time. I'm sure it won't last much longer so I had to take a picture.
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This was too cute not to share. All 8 of them cram into one nesting box at bed time. I'm sure it won't last much longer so I had to take a picture.
*cute* is in the eye of the beholder - unfortunately, the habit of sleeping in a nest box is actually not a good one to have your birds develop. It is very common for young birds to do this, but it is important for the habit to be broken. The problem with sleeping in the nest box is that a LOT of waste is expelled during the overnight hours - when the birds are sleeping in the nest box, that is where the waste accumulates. While the birds are young this doesn't seem like a big deal, but once they start to lay - and do so in the next boxes - you'll understand why it is not a good thing. Nest boxes are for laying - roosts are for sleeping (or the floor during the time before they begin to roost).
To break this habit simply close off access to the nest boxes for now (provided there are not older hens in the flock who need access to them for laying - if this is the case you can close them before dusk and open them back up in the morning, or you can go out and physically move them from the nest box to the roost each evening until they get the idea and put themselves on the roost.
 
Good idea thank you...they r roosting too. When I go out in the mornings a few of them are roosting.
 

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