Adult hen sleeping in nesting box

[meloreskovich]

Hello! I have an adult Wyandotte we rescued. She had been sleeping on her roost every night (a large branch I put in her coop) but she started laying unexpectedly. (We thought she may have been too old to lay) so I made her a nest box out of a large galvanized tub. She's been sleeping in it every night since. Its also been raining every night as well (not sure if that has anything to do with it)

Should I try to get her sleeping back on the roost?

Thank you!

 

[chickenlver2013]

Hello! I have an adult Wyandotte we rescued. She had been sleeping on her roost every night (a large branch I put in her coop) but she started laying unexpectedly. (We thought she may have been too old to lay) so I made her a nest box out of a large galvanized tub. She's been sleeping in it every night since. Its also been raining every night as well (not sure if that has anything to do with it)

Should I try to get her sleeping back on the roost?

Thank you!

does she have any eggs under her? If she does she has went broody if she is sleeping in the nest box.

 

[meloreskovich]

No eggs under her. We pull the egg as soon as we find it.

 

[donrae]

She may be broody, eggs or not. Does she fluff out like a pancake and growl at you when you approach her? Does she stay in the nest all day? If so, look into threads on breaking a broody.

If she's out and about during the day and just sleeping in the nest, it's your call. Most folks don't like sleeping in the nest as the birds poop a lot while they sleep and it makes a huge mess. If that's the case, you'll probably just need to block off the nest area in the early evening before they go to roost for the night.

 

[meloreskovich]

Thank you for the info! Since I'm new to all this, I honestly didnt know what they look like when they're broody. She is up and about during the day (she free ranges in my backyard all day) and then sleeps in the nest at night.

No growling or other agressive behaviors yet. I noticed she's not eating her grain. But she's still getting lots of stuff in the yard while roaming during the day.

I think I will cover her nest and make sure she's sleeping on the roost.

We'll see how it goes...

Thank you!

 

[appps]

Do you have other hens? If she is alone she may simply feel safer in the nest that on a perch alone.

If she were broody she would spend most of the day in there as well.

Its not a great habit to have though as they will poop in it during the night so you can end up with dirty eggs. But if she is alone she may need somewhere to feel safe and help her keep warm in winter. Bit of a tough call.

 

[meloreskovich]

Yes she is alone :-( I've been working on getting her another hen. And I believe I will have another one on Wednesday! Yay! I thought about that too...that maybe she feels more secure in the nest. It's big galvanized tub with grass clippings (we don't fertilize) and I can barely see her head over it she seems very comfy in there

Hmmm...maybe I should see how it goes on Wednesday? And just let her sleep in the nest till then?