Hello to all my Backyard Chicken Friends.

[ewaugaman]

Ok colder weather is on it way, so the questions that I have for you is..........

I have a 14 ft kennel that my husband use to raise his lab puppies for hunting, well no more hunting, but what I did was I put two bails of straw in there, covered it on the top, but nesting beds in there with there water and there food, and I have 5 chickens that seem to like being locked up in there.

The problem is, I have a real nice perch in their for them, but they all seems to want to perch on there nesting boxes, then they poop in them and in the morning when I go out to feed them, I usually clean out there nesting boxes so they can lay there eggs in a clean bed.

How do I keep them from perching on there nesting boxes, and teach them to perch on there perch that I have in there. I made this five step perch for them, each one would have a perch if only they would perch on it, I have even gone out there in the evenings when it was close to dark, took them off there nesting boxes, sat them on the perch and they still seem to get on there nesting box and poop all in it.

my chickens are 6 months old, I am sure they are all hens, don't have any signs being roasters, so is it to late to teach them to perch on there perch, not there nesting boxes?
should I just say "OH WELL" and clean them out everyday.....

Thank you for listening .
Edie

 

[Sally Sunshine]

We put a pc of plywood angled over ours so they slide and cant sit.... also a funnel over the feed keeps them from sitting on top of it! good luck!

 

[ewaugaman]

Sally
Thank you so much for the tip, I was gone for the weekend and when I came back I found that my chickens did not lay there eggs in there nest box because there was to much Poooo in them,,, so I did as you suggested, I put a piece of ply wood up and angled it and it worked perfect, I see that they have been roosting on there perch now, Good going, thank you so much, that really helped.

Edie