Chickens not roosting???? Rooster smashing eggs.

[jmjoffrion]

I have one bantam rooster and one bantam hen. Not sure of the age but I have only had them maybe three weeks. I haven't seen either of them on their roosts and haven't found any evidence (poo) of them using them. I know the deal about not letting your chickens sleep in the nesting boxes but since I have one mating pair, I do not take steps to keep them out as I am trying to get the hen to go broody and give me some chicks. They both seem to hang out (sleep) in the same box, which poses a problem when Captain Chub Chub hoists his feathered fanny up to the box and crushes the eggs during his crash landing. I've made a ramp available to them and have moved it so as to promote it's use but I am still finding smashed eggs. Two part question: Why aren't they using the roosts and how do I get them to start? And how to I keep him out of the nesting box so Hyacinth can sit on her eggs?

 

[gvntofly05]

Is the roost higher than the nest box? If not it needs to be higher. You can also put a curtain over the front of the nest boxes.

You may have to physically move him to the roost each night until he gets it.

If your hen is not broody she won't set her eggs. Out of my 34 chickens I have 1 that still chooses to ignore the roost and sleep in the nesting box. At first I thought she was thinking about going broody but no she just likes to sleep there. No matter what I do she still sleeps in the same box each and every night.

 

[jmjoffrion]

I'm not picking him up! He's nasty. But thanks for the insight. I'll see if I can get my husband to "show him the light".

Hyacinth has been on her eggs since yesterday afternoon. Up until that point she would only set on them at night. Food consumption is way down too. She's booted him out to the sofa next door too!