how high do you put your nestboxes

[blueseal]

i put mine 2ft off the floor and they still roost there at night . the roost is 3ft or so . i took the girls out of the nests tonight and put them on the roost maybe they will get the hint.

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

18 to 20 inches off the ground. Maybe they will get the picture and stop using the nestboxes to roost.

 

[gritsar]

If they insist on roosting in the nest boxes even with higher roosts, try going out at night and moving them to the roosts. I used a penlight to see by to do this. It was enough light for me to see by, but not enough to get them up and moving around.
You have to be consistent and move them every night. They finally catch on. It took two weeks of moving a couple of my more stubborn girls. I was determined to prove to them that I was a whole lot more stubborn than they are and finally broke them.

 

[tim_TX]

The small led head lamps work great when you need to work with your birds after dark, especially if you use the red lamp that most come with. It gives you two free hands, and it seems that when using the red light, they don't even see you coming. This is how I move my birds from the brooder house to the hen house; after dark and with the red head lamp.
I have no trouble catching even the spookiest rooster.

 

[Chirpy]

I have a double row of nest boxes. Four on top of four. The bottom row are about 12-15 inches off the floor and the top ones are about 24 inches off the floor. My hens seldom use the bottom ones.

However, I have some girls that just like to lay their eggs on the floor. I know many people that have their nest boxes on the floor.

Roosts should always be higher than nest boxes and across the coop from the nest boxes, if possible.

gritsar is right on - you may have to go out after dark every night for days or longer to physically move the chickens to the proper roost.

 

[al6517]

I have 2 triple row nest box groups with a total of 24 holes, some of my birds still roost in the boxes, they are also 18" off the ground.

AL

 

[Chicken Woman]

I have 3 xlarge hooded cat litter boxes ( on the floor ) with a 28 in wide poop board on top of them and double row of perches about 10 inches above poop board.

 

[Katy]

Mine are all ground level. Either plastic boxes or covered kitty litter boxes.

 

[bigzio]

Quote:
That's a great tip, and creates even more uses for my head set.

bigzio

 

[blueseal]

I CLOSED THE NEST BOX OFF AT NIGHT AND THEY FINNALLY GOT THE PICTURE TO USE THE ROOST. ALL BUT 3 HENS AND 1 ROOSTER WERE ON THE ROOST LASTNIGHT . THE 3 HENS AND1 ROO FOUND SPOT ON THE COOP FLOOR GUESS THEY DIDNT LIKE THE ROOST. THE OTHER 11 BIRDS DID OH WELL . LOL.