Holy crap!

[sbrad]

Seriously...I had no idea chickens pooped so much. Which brings me to my question: I spent a lot of time building pretty roosts for my chickens and all they want to do is sit on top of and inside their nesting boxes. That is where they sleep...and poop. How do I evict them?

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Sounds to me like they might not like thier pretty perches? What did you make them with? how wide? My birds seem to favor 2x3's over anything smaller, with the wide side up for them.....

You can evict them by covering the nest boxes for a while so they cant get in, but I would fix the perches first!

Good Luck!

 

[rdranch]

Using a sloped roof on the nest boxes of at 45 degrees will keep them off the top. As for camping in the nest boxes try closing them off after you know that they are done laying for the day.

I put a piece of wood across the opening to our communtiy nest box a couple of hours before they would come in for the night. After doing a head count I remove the wood from the door so it's ready when the light comes on the next day.

Also is there a possibility that one of the chickens is bullying the rest of the flock? I've seen it happen here.

 

[azelgin]

Make sure your roost is higher than the nest boxes. Put a steep slope lid on anything you don't wnat them roosting on. i put my nest boxes through the wall with no place for them to perch and they slide off the waterer and feeder when the try to hang out there.

 

[sbrad]

Quote:
That's a good idea. I will try adding a piece of wood on top.
I don't think there's any bullying going on. They are ALL up there.

 

[Chicken Woman]

When you close them up for the night you can pick them up and place them on the perch. If it is dard they will stay put.
I would also block the nest boxes in the late afternoon until they get the hang of getting on the perch.

How high is the perch ? 2 to 3 feet at max and they sometimes like a ladder to walk up to get on them especially if they are a heavy breed.

My perches are made of 2 by 4's and the edges are rounded off a bit. That way their whole foot is on the perch and they can sit on their feet to keep them warm on cold nights.

Are the perches painted ? If so they maybe to slippery. How old are your birds ? If they are to young to lay they don't need to access the nest boxes right now anyway.