How do you keep young chickens out of nest boxes?

[Tstraub]

I have 9 pullets and one cockerel that are 5 months old all the pullets are laying and most of them are using the nest boxes. I still have one that just started last week and is laying eggs all around but I think she will figure it out the rest of them did.

Anyway I also have eight 9 week old chicks that I hatched from eggs because of chicken math. Yesterday moved the little ones to the main flock. The have been look but no touch for several weeks. Everything went really well some very minor chasing but nobody is actually getting hurt.

I just found all 8 chicks crammed into 2 boxes while one of the big girls was paying rent in the 3rd box. Is this something I should be concerned about? I know I don’t want them to make a habit of it. Should I be chasing them out or just letting them go for now? I don’t know if they are trying to hide from the big ones or just checking out the new environment.

Thanks for any input I have really enjoyed this forum and learned a lot.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If they're just popping in and out of there it's not an issue, and I encourage chicks to visit the nest boxes, even if they kick stuff around a bit. If they're staying in there for a period of time, then yes I'd see about pushing them out, as they shouldn't be hanging out in there.

 

[aart]

I provide a separate and slightly lower roost for youngsters.
..and I rigged a hinged nest cover, close it an hour before roost time and open after dark when I lock up.

 

[Tstraub]

I provide a separate and slightly lower roost for youngsters.
..and I rigged a hinged nest cover, close it an hour before roost time and open after dark when I lock up.

Thanks for your reply. I do have a low roost opposite the nesting boxes, on the left of attached picture. Last night at sunset I put the chicks on the low bar. Two of them walked over and jumped to the high bar. The other 6 jumped down. I kept trying to put them back up but they did eventually move out of my reach.
A couple of the older girls jumped down and back up several times as if they were trying to show the little ones what to do but they didn’t get the hint. I think with some training and possibly a nest box cover they will figure it out.

 

[Tstraub]

Today went a bit better. The big girls chased the chicks out of the nest boxes the first half of the day while they were laying. The chicks did spend some time playing or maybe hiding in the boxes in the afternoon/evening hours after the laying was over.

At sunset the chicks tried going back to the grow out pin instead of to the main coop. I had the door closed to hopefully discourage them from going in there. They all piled up on the ramp outside the closed door.

I moved them into the coop and set them on the low roost. 3 of them jumped up to the high roost and 5 went to sleep in a pile on the floor in front of the nest boxes. it’s slow progress but it is progress so things are going in the right direction.

 

[Tstraub]

Today went just about perfectly. The big girls are keeping the little ones in line. The chicks were still making short visits to the next boxes. If they overstay their welcome the girls chase them out. If the big girls get too rough my 5 month old cockerel would break up the fight.

At sunset everyone made it into the coop before the automatic door closed. All the chicks went up to a high roost together.