I am a first time chicken Mommy and I need some clarification. I have seven 22 week old pullets and four 14 week old pullets. They are integrated into my 8 X 8 coop nicely and all of them sleep on the roosts. I recently opened up the nesting boxes because, in my inexperienced eye, a few of my older girls are starting to look like they're getting ready to lay. I was under the impression that if the girls aren't sleeping in the nest boxes they should remain relatively poop free...but that has not been the case at all for me. I have sand on my coop floor and initially used pine shavings in the nest boxes so they had something soft to fluff up and lay eggs on. I've switched to sand in the nest boxes hoping it wouldn't be as inviting for them to hang out in during the day. I have checked them almost every evening to assure they are not sleeping in the nest boxes..and they are not. So why are the nest boxes so poopy??? Will that change once a few of them start laying eggs?