Hens not using perch???

[pretend farmer]

I have two hens that dont sleep on the perch i have, they both squash into the one nesting box. Why is this so??

 

[En Plein Air Farms]

You could try putting a block across the nests at night. It probably isn't any big deal, but they do poop in the nest which isn't a very healthy idea.

What kind of a perch do you have and how high is it?

Welcome to the forum

 

[karlamaria]

my mom has a tiny coop, but only two hens. they refuse to roost and instead sleep in the nest box, funny thing is they never poop in there, they go out and land a pile as soon as they get out side. if you have a small coop it may be your roosts are to low to the bottom like my moms, or small coop. it you have a bigger coop then I sugest you take them out of those nests and put them on the roost after dark. keep doing it until they have the right idea. also what are you suplying for a roost? some times folks use branches and some birds do not like them . I use a 2x4 flat side down, they sit on them and they rest well. ( we also carpet them lol so they feet do not get cold in winter.

 

[pretend farmer]

i have a square bar across that is about 3 inches off the ground. it is in a small coop but like karlamarias mums, they dont poop in the nesting box, they go on the perch to poop and then sleep in the nesting box

 

[Pele]

If they are keeping the nesting boxes clean, then you can just decide to leave them to themselves to sleep there.

If you'd like them to still use the roosts, block off the nesting boxes at night, and open them in the mornings. It shouldn't take them more than a month at the very most to get the idea. Chickens are a creature of habit, pretty soon you wouldn't be able to pay them to use the nesting boxes for sleep.

 

[En Plein Air Farms]

the 3" off the ground is probably the problem. How high are the next boxes?
General consensus is roosts should be higher than next boxes.
In nature they would be roosting up in trees, instinct to stay alive...

 

[karlamaria]

moms coop looks like this one, and she has two chickens. the roosts are low and the nest box is right behind. guess she is lucky, they poop big when they get out in the morning saving the nest box and coop from the mess. hers free range all day on her lawn.

 

[pretend farmer]

mines very similar to that but the nesting box is on the side. i also leave mine to free range on the lawn

 

[Nicole01]

My first bunch never learned to perch in the coop. I gave up and now use 14" shelving as their roost. It actually works quite well. We lined with linoleum and I disinfect weekly with oxine. In the winter I put a heater under the shelf and spring/summer has been a dog kennel for integrating.

 

[DianaR]

I have something similar going on with one hen. Does anyone know if that causes any problems for their feet long term? I feel like I read somewhere that it's better for their feet if they perch at night. Not sure!