all sleeping in one nest box...

[mix-of-chix]

I have 7 chickens, nearing 4 months old. They go into the coop at night just fine but they all squeeze into one nest box to sleep. The roost bars in the coop are untouched. It's usually in the 50s at night. They are cooing and chirping and seem generally happy.
is this typical for the age and they will eventually figure it out on their own or is this a habit they will continue when they start producing eggs? Should it be corrected now? Suggestions?
If it matters, I will be going down to 5 chickens in the next week as two of them have started crowing.
Thanks in advance!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I would block off the nest boxes completely until they are closer to point of lay. Sleeping in them is a bad habit. Without access, they will roost sooner than they would in the current circumstance.
How high is the roost?

 

[mix-of-chix]

Good to know. The roost is ~20 inches off the ground, higher than my nest boxes

 

[aart]

Have they always slept in the nests?
Can be a hard habit to break.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Mine did the same thing at that age. I blocked off the nesting boxes and after a week of sleeping on the coop floor, they started using the roosts. I just opened mine back up a few weeks ago, when my chickens reached 16 weeks.

 

[LisaMarie81]

Going to revive this thread as I have a similar question. Mine all did the same thing. 8 Birds crammed into one nesting box close to the door that goes back to the run (at about 8-9 weeks of age). I read here it was a bad habit and blocked the boxes all off. Now for the past 3-4 weeks they sleep still all in one huddle, still on the floor, still in the same spot - right next to the nesting box I blocked off and right next to the door back to the run. (pics show them from the outside at night with half their bodies out of the door...sometimes just beaks and the other pic I opened the nesting box they used to sleep in and they are all crammed right there next to it)
The Birds refuse to roost at night. They roost all day. We have many roosts in there at all different heights from about 6" all the way up to about 2ft off the ground with a ramp and access that way). The roost are about 2" - 4" wide. All different
With them almost 13 weeks old now, I'm thinking in a couple weeks I'll need to uncover the nesting boxes again in egg laying preparation and am worried they will just go back to their sleeping habit in them.
Right now I have to cram their little beaks back into the coop to even close the door.
Advice?

 

[Shorty22366]

I have 23 6 week olds and they all try to get in 1 box. I have closed most boxes off but have hens sitting on eggs in some. Couple of times 1 or 2 get in box with hens. My hensare so sweet the slide over with their eggs and let them sleep with them. I have silkies 8 month old that will not roost and I have 5 5 month old Sebrights that sleep on roost at night. I am putting little o e on roost ar night but the next morning they are on floor near coop door.

 

[aart]

Advice?

Post pics and dimensions of coop and roosts.

 

[LisaMarie81]

Tried yesterday for another post but got home and was busy until dark. Will try tonight

 

[LisaMarie81]

Here are the pics of the coop and roosts.
Please ignore the pain in the neck cat.
The original coop has 4 nesting boxes and had 2 roosts. we removed one because a temporary water unit is in there until we build a more permanent one (we have all the parts but were busy on the coop addition and are currently building a 10X6 run addition). you can see in one pic the single roost and covered nesting boxes at the end. this roost is very low. Maybe 6"
The addition we just put on last weekend so are still working on it a bit, but it currently has 2 roosts. they appear over the top of one another but are not. They are offset. One roost is about 8-10" and the other maybe 2ft up. both are about 6 ft long.

Edited to add: we have only 8 birds. 3 of which are bantams