Do your hens sleep in the nesting boxes?

[Peppercorngal]

I have 36 hens. Only one sleeps in a nesting box. It's the lowest box on the left and is not used for laying eggs. They have 18 nesting boxes, so it doesn't bother me that she uses this one to sleep in. These girls are getting old and I let them be who they are!

 

[Nicosauce]

I don't mind where they sleep. they look cute in the boxes! I was just wondering

They do look so so cute all piled in boxes it’s so weird because I thought their natural instinct was to sleep in the highest spot!

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

A lot of natural instinct has been bred out of them.

 

[Melody Hunt]

When I first got my 2 hens, they slept on the roosts. But ever since their first time being broody (soon after we got them), they have decided to sleep in the nesting boxes EVEN WHEN THEY AREN'T BROODY.

This IS NOT my coop but the inside is very similar. I have a small flock so only have a small coop.
https://www.vidaxl.co.uk/e/vidaxl-c...MIquWridni8AIViwLmCh1tQw3oEAQYCCABEgIklPD_BwE

My chicks have been roosting since they have shared the coop with the hens and had had access to the roosts (which was on the 21st of May)

Why are my hens doing this? Is it more comfy for them? I am fine with them doing it but I am just confused.

Hens poop where they sleep! Adds germs to the eggs. no sleeping in the nesting boxes. We cover them up at night when someone is broody, and open them during the day.

 

[Lady Clucks-a-Lot]

Yellowie (the weakest chicken in my flock, I guess you could say often bullied), sleep in the nesting box a lot since that my other two chicken Flawie and Runner (they're both a little older than Yellowie) keeps on pecking her and squishing her, but for most of the time she slept on the roost with the others.
In the summer, when we're just to lazy to close the coop door (we let them play in our yard all day in summer), she and my leader hen GreyWhite would sleep on the "porch" of the coop. Though that's probably not what your chicken do.

 

[chickencoop57]

I have 4 nest boxes that I built on to the side of my coop and at first, the hens would, every now and again, sleep in them, but I don't allow any chickens in them at night, anymore. They just crap in them and it gets all over the egg's. So I built a cover that I shut every evening, over the nest boxes. Now they all stay on the 2x4 roost, night.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

They lay my daily egg (only 1 egg a day) during the day so there are no eggs in the boxes at night. I don't really care about poopy eggs unless they are super poopy but I've never gotten an egg so poopy

 

[Ravenseye]

I always have a hen or two in the nesting boxes. I don't mind but I have to remember to clean them out more often and I'm not always home. There's plenty of roosting space but sometimes they just prefer the nesting box. I've tried putting a milk jug in there or other objects but then, around noon the next day, I remember that I didn't remove them and have to go out that night looking for where the eggs ended up. I don't even try now...I just let them have their way.

 

[AnnG]

My girls are also sleeping in the nest box. I have 3 the squish themselves in one box together and the other two sleep together in another box. They leave the 3rd box empty. It's not like it's cold out. The weather has been very warm lately ( except for today). I tried putting them on the roosting bar & they didn't like that. I don't mind except that they poop in the box. What to do?

 

[3KillerBs]

My girls are also sleeping in the nest box. I have 3 the squish themselves in one box together and the other two sleep together in another box. They leave the 3rd box empty. It's not like it's cold out. The weather has been very warm lately ( except for today). I tried putting them on the roosting bar & they didn't like that. I don't mind except that they poop in the box. What to do?

Is your roost lower than your boxes? Chickens prefer to sleep in the highest place?

Can you show us photos of your coop with the nests and the roost?