All 3 hens sleeping in the nest box - UPDATE with new problem (pg 2)

[chad76]

Actually, I think I just figured out what I'm going to do.

Remove the lower roost. Then attach a ramp from the middle of the back roost/nest down to the floor. Then attach a small ramp from the far left of that same roost (on the opposite side of the nest) going UP to a new higher roost closer to the front. (Front and rear based on the view in the photos)

The ramp that comes down to the floor can be attached at the top by a hinge and just rest on the floor. That way I can just lift it up when I remove the floor for cleaning.

Hopefully, that made sense.

 

[Fowl-Language]

My hen Alice will only sleep in the nest box, regardless of where it is, and will not roost. I've learned that I have to collect the eggs as promptly as I can, since she's made her preference clear. Unfortunately this sometimes leads to her getting pooped on in the middle of the night by those who prefer to roost...a larger coop is in the works so hopefully that particular problem will be solved soon!

 

[NoSpringChick]

I've had the same problem with three of hens.....during the day one is always in the nesting box...even when I promptly remove the eggs.....then the other two hens go in with her to lay their eggs, even though there is another similar nesting box to lay in....they prefer the "red" milk crate instead of the "yellow" one. Yesterday, I saw two of them in the red nesting box looking at me and one was buried backwards and underneath the other two.

But thanks to you all, I think I need to lower my nesting boxes below...that should do the trick.

Does anyone know how to get my one hen to stop brooding during the day?

 

[chad76]

Well... I got off work too late today and when I got home, they were all in the coop already... and it was still good daylight! Two were in the nest and one on the front roost. My daughter and I coaxed that one out, but the other two wouldn't budge. That was a little disappointing since I'm anxiously waiting for my first egg and couldn't see past all the chicken butts to tell if there was anything in the nest!

I think I'll do the cardboard box trick tomorrow and leave it until I have a chance to rearrange everything (hopefully this weekend).

 

[chad76]

UPDATE - NEW PROBLEM

Well... I finally fixed my first problem. I ended up removing the nest box completely (since none of them are laying yet anyway). I added a ladder up to the back roost (that the nest was attached to), moved the front roost up about 18", and added a ladder to connect the roosts. It took about 2 nights before they finally all decided the top roost was the place to be.

But now I have a new problem. For the last 4 days in a row, they will not exit the coop in the morning. They will stay in it ALL day if I don't force them to leave. The first day this happened, I just opened the coop and had to leave. I came back to check on them at lunch and they were all still in the coop with their mouths wide open and wings spread out (it was really hot that day). So, the next couple days, I made sure they all exited. Today, I put one on the floor of the coop and just assumed the rest would follow. I didn't have time to wait and see. But I called and had my wife go check on them. They were all on the top roost still with their mouths open.

I'm wondering if their roost is too high now. Is it possible they are scared to get down? I don't have a current photo... but the new roost is about 4" lower than the top of the screened window. Maybe I just need to split the difference and drop it down a bit?