Chicken Sleeps in Nest Box!

[feathermaid]

We currently have only two hens that will be 2 years old this April. We used to have three, but one was tragically lost before Christmas because of my own negligence. That’s another story entirely… but wondering if that may be contributing to my chicken’s new behavior that started over a month ago.

I know that younger pullets will oftentimes sleep in nest boxes which is why you block them off until they start laying. I also know that the nests should be lower than the roosts because chickens like to sleep in the highest/safest place. Even though my coop is very small, there was enough space to raise the roosting bar a little higher. Jewel, my Americauna loves it there. But Pepper, my Barred Rock will now always sleep in the nest area if given the opportunity.

When I first noticed there was poop in the nest I would just clean it out. Then I started checking the coop every night, found Pepper in there and lifted her to the roost where she usually stayed for the rest of the night, but not always.

Since it’s winter, they’ve both stopped laying. And since I don’t really want to keep moving her every single night, I ended up blocking access to the nests. When I first did this, Pepper would then just sleep on the floor. None of the chickens had ever done that before… ever! Once again lifted her to the roost. I guess it’s not that big of a deal, but when she sleeps on the ground and poops during the night, her bottom gets poopy. Which also gets tiresome to clean.

So then I put a wobbly board across the floor where she would sleep and that seemed to have solved the problem. Yay! She was back to roosting all by herself like a normal chicken! Then I removed the barrier from the nest boxes… and like an invitation, she was back to sleeping in the nest! Ughh! This cycle has happened a few times now.

I can’t just keep blocking the nest boxes because they will start laying again eventually. I keep checking for eggs elsewhere but none so far. When do chickens start laying again in spring? (Last year they all kept laying through the winter which I heard is normal for first year hens)

Wow, sorry for that ridiculously long explanation but it seems like I’ve tried everything. What should I do? Does anyone have some insight?

 

[lazy gardener]

Keep blocking her. When you lost your other bird, was it at night? In the coop? She may be reacting to that. But be persistent. Hopefully, when they start laying again, she'll have mended her ways by then. Some birds are horribly stubborn about sleeping in the nest boxes. Persistence. You must be more stubborn than her.

 

[RodNTN]

I have had this problem with several very stubborn hens, and I have to agree with @lazy gardener, keep blocking her off. If she still persists to sleep in the nests, remove her after it is dark.
This has worked for me, and hope that it does the same for you! Best wishes!

 

[rebrascora]

I agree with @lazy gardener but first give her a thorough examination to make sure she is not ailing. Check her crop, feel her breast bone for general body condition and check her abdomen and vent for any unusual swelling. Cupping your hand and feeling between her legs and then checking against your other chicken straight after is the best way to assess this. I do this whilst they are on the roost at night side by side.
Not roosting can be an indication of ill health, so it is important to rule that out rather than just persevering with making roosting elsewhere difficult.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Get some gallon milk jugs. Fill them with water, rocks, whatever. Before bedtime, put the jugs in the nesting boxes. In the morning remove them. Keep this up. This keeps the nest blocked off from sleepers, open for layers.

 

[feathermaid]

Keep blocking her. When you lost your other bird, was it at night? In the coop? She may be reacting to that. But be persistent. Hopefully, when they start laying again, she'll have mended her ways by then. Some birds are horribly stubborn about sleeping in the nest boxes. Persistence. You must be more stubborn than her.

Yes, the tragedy was at night. In our crowded suburban neighborhood I had never noticed any threat of predators -no foxes, coyotes or even raccoons. I have a compost bin that has never been visited by anything other than my chickens. So I had become lazy locking them in for the night. Lesson learned.

At the time, for some reason Jewel and Macy(the unlucky Buff Orp) would not go into the coop at bedtime for several nights… they roosted on the 6 ft. privacy fence dividing our yard from the neighbors. They had never done that before, (probably because I clipped their wings so they wouldn't fly over the fence, but I forgot their feathers grew back, yeah I'm a dodo) so I had to go out and physically grab them off and put them inside for the night. I was so distracted with holiday hustle-bustle that I forgot to check and lock them inside so they stayed on the fence all night. Well, in the morning there wasn’t much left of Macy except feathers (and other horrifying stuff). Jewel had escaped whatever it was and my neighbor across the street found her hiding in their yard and brought her back home.
I think Jewel should have been more traumatized than Pepper who was always the good chicken and stayed in the coop. But she definitely probably heard everything and it was a trauma nonetheless. I think it was probably a cat. I feel terrible and the heartbreak is still pungent.

But I will stay persistent and keep blocking for a longer stretch. Thank you. I'm sure I can out-stubborn her!

 

[aart]

I ended up hacking together a hinged cover for my ease one year when I had persistent chicks sleeping in nests. Close an hour before roost time, then uncover after dark when I locked up (so I didn't have to go out at the crack of dawn to uncover).

Open.

Closed.

 

[feathermaid]

I ended up hacking together a hinged cover for my ease one year when I had persistent chicks sleeping in nests. Close an hour before roost time, then uncover after dark when I locked up (so I didn't have to go out at the crack of dawn to uncover).

Open.

Closed.

Wow that's such a good idea to make it easier on yourself! Especially when you have to keep doing it every day. Thanks for the pics !

 

[feathermaid]

I agree with @lazy gardener but first give her a thorough examination to make sure she is not ailing. Check her crop, feel her breast bone for general body condition and check her abdomen and vent for any unusual swelling. Cupping your hand and feeling between her legs and then checking against your other chicken straight after is the best way to assess this. I do this whilst they are on the roost at night side by side.
Not roosting can be an indication of ill health, so it is important to rule that out rather than just persevering with making roosting elsewhere difficult.

Thanks for that suggestion. I went out right away after reading this yesterday and checked her body but I couldn't really tell if anything was wrong. So I observed her behavior for a long time while enjoying some cuddle time and tidying up. She seemed perfectly active and bright-eyed and her poop was normal. I also opened the nest boxes for the day. Then it was quite late at night when I checked her again and she was already sleeping on the roost bar with Jewel even though the nest was available. So I'm really hoping she's getting over it. Fingers crossed.

 

[rebrascora]

Excellent. Let's hope you have broken her of the habit already.