I've got three, eight week old BOs who will be moving out of the brooder next week. Their Henhouse is roughly 4x4x4 with two nest boxes inside. It's kind of tight in there but should be fine for my small flock. Is there any reason to discourage them from getting comfy in the shaving filled nests? Pine shavings are nearly all they know, and I imagine that the nests will be a sight more accomodating then a drafty roost. There is no way that they will be laying for a few months, but is there some behavior that I should try to train from the get go? Thanks, Robi
[[[You will get poopy eggs if you let them sleep in the nests.]]] Bottom line!! Its so gross, and I deal with it daily, because when we built our coop (before we had chickens and any chicken experience), we put the nesting boxes at the highest point, so they all roost there. Have been meaning to change it, but havent been able to yet, and its such a mess. Cleaning tons of poop out of the boxes daily has become a real pain.
If they get comfortable with sleeping in the nests they are going to fill them with poo every night and you are going to have a mess to clean up every morning. I say put a milk jug in each nest box at night to discourage the behavior before they get set in their way and you are sorry. Take it from someone who has been there and done that
Thanks for posting this question because I was planning to ask it myself tonight. I have the same problem! I didn't have any experience when I built my chicken coop and I also built the nest boxes in a higher spot. My flocks have moved into this new coop for four nights and every morning I got a lot of poop in their nest boxes. If they were younger, I would definitely do what Pumpkinpup just suggested. But my flocks are 25 weeks now, and I want some eggs! I don't want poopy eggs. Could someone please advise what I should do to discourage them from sleeping in the nest box and go there only when they want to lay an egg? Guess it's not an easy one. Help.....
Been there, done that! My roost was only inches higher than the nest boxes and I had yucky poopy eggs every day! I was able to move my roosts up by five feet so they are much higher than the nest boxes. Then, I spent almost two full weeks going out every night after dark and moving the stubborn girls out of the nest boxes and onto the roosts. They finally all got it and have dutifully (and wonderfully) been going to the roosts every night for two months now. Don't let it start - don't let them sleep in the nest boxes even one night if you can help it at all.