Chickens Sleeping in Egg Box

[aart]

I could add boxes down as well on the main floor of the attached enclosed run?

Post a pic of inside of coop showing roosts and nests?

Or block off nest boxes late afternoon/early evening before they go to roost. After they've settled on the roosts, you can then open the nest boxes back up. As long as you don't use a lot of light when you open the boxes back up, they'll stay roosted.

This^^^^is what I do, uncover nests after dark when I lock up. Made a permanent hinged cover due to new pullets every year. Last year I had to cover nests for 2 months, this year only 2 days.

 

[Mar1ann3]

I had a similar problem where some would not go in to roost in the coop. They preferred sleeping perched on trees So at night when their vision is at their worst I picked them up and placed them one by one on the perches, until they got used it. It took about 3 nights of doing so, until that became their routine. I assume it will work with any habit you want them to get rid of

 

[spicewood chick]

There are two egg boxes up in the laying area and thats where they are all framing into. I was thinking of building two egg boxes down below that area as well. THey have a large area below the egg boxes they could all lay and in the larger run area we are installing perches this weekend. In the fence area we close that off at night but they have perches in there they like during the day but I close that at night for preditor potentials

 

[spicewood chick]

I had a similar problem where some would not go in to roost in the coop. They preferred sleeping perched on trees So at night when their vision is at their worst I picked them up and placed them one by one on the perches, until they got used it. It took about 3 nights of doing so, until that became their routine. I assume it will work with any habit you want them to get rid of

Once we get our perches installed this weekend i will try that

 

[spicewood chick]

Post a pic of inside of coop showing roosts and nests?

This^^^^is what I do, uncover nests after dark when I lock up. Made a permanent hinged cover due to new pullets every year. Last year I had to cover nests for 2 months, this year only 2 days.

Awesome, i will try to close egg box area before they roost and then open it after they are roosted. Thanks

 

[Mar1ann3]

There are two egg boxes up in the laying area and thats where they are all framing into. I was thinking of building two egg boxes down below that area as well. THey have a large area below the egg boxes they could all lay and in the larger run area we are installing perches this weekend. In the fence area we close that off at night but they have perches in there they like during the day but I close that at night for preditor potentials

Nice coop!

 

[aart]

There doesn't seem to be a roost anywhere?
Would be why they are sleeping in the nests.
I'd put a roost in the larger area, across from the water pipe.
Make it higher than the nests, tho that might make for tough landings in that narrow of a space...or just make it low enough for the silkies and close off the nests at roost time.

 

[spicewood chick]

Yeah we just remodeled the coop last weekend and the perches that were in there were removed to add siding and those will be going back up this weekend. But when the perches were in there they were all still going into the egg box area at night. I have had two rounds of chickens my first round that my white silkie was part of all turned out to be Roos and the all were raised from eggs which broke my heart and they all slept in the egg box together and my white silkie was used to that and taught the new girls to do that I think. I will get the perches on the wall across from the water pipe, before they would fly from the perch to the coop area across from it to get down.