Do chooks like sitting in their own poop?

[AussieChick]

I'm a proud pullet owner for 17 days (chooks are 16 weeks old) and my girls have been sleeping in their nesting boxes, not the perch (same level as boxes) but, oh my goodness, they do so much poop!!!

I thought this must be normal, never having chickens before, but reading through the threads, most people dont like messy nesting boxes. so my questions are:

1. Can I block off the nesting boxes during the night so they roost on the perch?

2. are they old enough to roost on the perch?

 

[farm_mom]

I would try putting the birds on the roosts and blocking the nest boxes. I have heard that some people have some success getting the birds to roost if the roost is higher than the nest boxes. Good Luck!!

 

[ChickyPooh]

They will sit in their poop but if they start sleeping on the roosts it should help. Are they spending all their time in the nest boxes? If so they're probably turning broody so you need to break them of that. I hate it when my hens go broody