Chicken Pile-Up!

[nancypo]

I peeked in about dark into our nesting box area, to see if Rosie had laid yet and found all 3 girls piled up/cuddling in one nest box! It's not cold, about 65, and they were pretty squashed. Is this normal? I would have taken a picture, but it was too dark and didn't want to freak them out. It was 20 cooler today, so maybe they thought it was "cold"? They were so CUTE

 

[503BEE]

This is how my 3 pullets sleep every night whether its warm or cold... All piled up in a nest box and an emtpy roost. One of them just started laying and she chose the nest box that they don't sleep in. Hopefully it stays that way!

 

[foxchasr]

Mine do that all the time!

This is Cookie, Jilly and my miracle one-legged hen, Hannah!

Correction, that's Catie, Jilly and Cookie! My miracle hen isn't in this pic

 

[rdport]

Do you want them to sleep on the roost? If so, you will need to move them after dark onto the roost. It may take a few times, or you can block off the nesting boxes before it is time for them to roost. It might be easier to make the change while they are young.

They do look happy.

 

[nancypo]

Cute pic!!! Mine (if they're freeranging in the backyard) go into the coop and into the roost on their own before dark. I NEVER leave my girls out after dark, hawks in the area. The upper "condo" has a roosting area and nest boxes. They were piled up in a nest box cuddling. Works for me!

 

[GrandmaAnn]

I have 58 birds young birds that should be using the roosts, instead they were piling into the nesting boxes. I have community nesting boxes - 4' x 1'. I must have had 30 birds in the one box. So, I stapled some snow fencing over the nesting boxes and kept going in after dark and putting them on the roosts. The first night, I had to move each bird a few times, even though it was dark. Last night, I didn't have to do any rearranging, finally. I went in and the roosts looked crowded. We are about 2 months from eggs, so I'll keep the nesting boxes blocked off for another 1 1/2 months.

 

[nancypo]

Here's some new pics of the "condo area" with nesting boxes, etc...

 

[nancypo]

What's the point in blocking off the nest boxes?