Hen is sleeping / pooping in nest box - How to Stop her??

[jBlaze]

We yave a 2 year old hen, un-known breed (lt brahama mix?), that has for the past month or so started sleeping and pooping in the nest boxes. I have tried moving her in the evenings. I have tried blocking off her usual box, but she then chose another. How can I get her to stop sleeping in the nest boxes? It's just nasty. I am tired of putting new straw in everyday.
Thanks.

 

[snowflake]

don't know what causes that, I had one that did that for a while, I figured the other hens were picking on her? It stopped all by it self but I will find poo int the box every once in a while.

 

[Sushi]

Maybe she's been cold at night?

 

[huntsman]

Is this not normal?!!

I have around 9 bantams that have slept/pooped in the nesting boxes from day one, but I had no idea they should not...!

They ignore the roosting branches I created and huddle together. Too cold? Perhaps, but this is South Africa...in summer.

 

[teach1rusl]

NO huntsman...nest boxes are for laying eggs. And nobody wants poopy eggs...lol. I would tack a long sheet of chicken wire to drape down over the boxes...roll it up and tie it each morning, unroll it to drape down each evening (you'd probably have to tie it to a screw or something at the bottom.

 

[jBlaze]

Hey, cool idea with the wire.
I did finally find some more threads about this yesterday, mentioned the size of the openings, and the height compared to the roosts. I am in error on both of those counts. Dh built me a lovely new set of nest boxes. 4 boxes long and 3 boxes high, I am sure each is probably 14 to 18 inches wide, at least 12 high. hummm. the roosts are 16 inches and maybe 30 inches off the ground. (the 30" one only holds about 4 birds though).

My concern about the wire though, is not getting it up early enough in the morning! LOL. THose summer mornings come awfully darn early on a Saturday.

Thanks!

 

[Wynette]

Super easy way to get them to not use the nest boxes - when you put them up for the night, but an empty shoe box or other box inside each nest box. It'll take about 2-3 weeks of diligently doing this each evening and removing 1st thing in the a.m., but they'll eventually get out of the habit.

 

[huntsman]

Cool -

So, they should actually be sleeping on branches, etc, right? Not in boxes at all?