Hen sleeping in nesting box

[Vincentville farm]

I have 17 6-7 month old BR hens, 1 5 yr old EE hen and a 1 yr old EE BR cross rooster. My BRs all sleep in one room with my roo on nesting bars. My EE sleeps alone in another room on a roosting ladder. When they were younger, the BRs and the roo ALL slept on the top two rungs of their roosting bars. Now they take up all but the bottom row.

Lately, I have been coming in for my 'bed check' to find one of my ladies settled in for the night in a nesting box. I don't know for sure if she stays there all night or if it is temporary. I'm not even sure it is the same one climbing in as I have to be able to see their bands to tell them apart. They all slept happily together on the roosting bars before. Is there anything I can do to get this behavior stopped? I don't want to block the nests off because the light in their coop comes on before sunrise (or I rise). Trying to get them enough light to keep laying consistently.

Any suggestions? Would putting in a shelf in another location help? Maybe another roosting bar like the small ladder in the other room?

 

[Tonyroo]

If you see her in the nesting box getting ready for bed you should remove her to the roosting bar. The angle of the bar might be hurting her feet.

As chickens age all there weight sinks to there feet and they usually stay stationary all night.

Consider redoing the roosting bar with a flat surface for there feet to rest on. A 2×3×8 stud would work well.