Is it OK for a broody hen and chicks to sleep in a nest box?

[ChickenDude12345]

I have a broody hen and seven chicks that are all around three weeks old. She incubate the eggs in a new coop in one of the nest boxes separate from my flock. Now every night they are sleeping in same nest box every night and the litter is starting to become bad. I don’t mind changing it I’m just worried that this behavior will continue even after she’s done taking care of them or are my worries for nothing? Any advice on what I should do?

 

[sourland]

They will eventually start roosting and stop sleeping in the nest box. When they are a bit older just block the nest box and force them to roost.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have a broody hen and seven chicks that are all around three weeks old. She incubate the eggs in a new coop in one of the nest boxes separate from my flock. Now every night they are sleeping in same nest box every night and the litter is starting to become bad. I don’t mind changing it I’m just worried that this behavior will continue even after she’s done taking care of them or are my worries for nothing? Any advice on what I should do?

I've not had this behavior continue yet. But x2 what Sourland said

 

[WIchickMama]

I have a hen and 5 week olds that are still sleeping in the nesting box but have started to check out the roosts. For me it is normal

 

[Ridgerunner]

I would not worry about it. Some people on this forum put nests on the coop floor for broody hens to use with their chicks if they don't have low nests. I don't, my broody hens are fine taking their chicks to sleep on the coop floor.

You have them isolated in a separate coop. No chickens are laying eggs in that nest or even coop so you don't have to worry about poopy eggs. Since no hens are laying in that coop, if you want to you could block the nests and force her to take them to sleep somewhere else. Might make cleaning easier. But I agree with the others, in your case it is not a problem for the future.

 

[ChickenDude12345]

They will eventually start roosting and stop sleeping in the nest box. When they are a bit older just block the nest box and force them to roost.

OK I will give it another week or two and then I’ll block off the bottom nest boxes

 

[ChickenDude12345]

I would not worry about it. Some people on this forum put nests on the coop floor for broody hens to use with their chicks if they don't have low nests. I don't, my broody hens are fine taking their chicks to sleep on the coop floor.

You have them isolated in a separate coop. No chickens are laying eggs in that nest or even coop so you don't have to worry about poopy eggs. Since no hens are laying in that coop, if you want to you could block the nests and force her to take them to sleep somewhere else. Might make cleaning easier. But I agree with the others, in your case it is not a problem for the future.

Okay thank you. I might give it a week and then block off the bottom three nests. I am planning on moving my laying flock of 9 in the coop next week so I don’t want the nest box too dirty

 

[NatJ]

I don’t mind changing it I’m just worried that this behavior will continue even after she’s done taking care of them or are my worries for nothing? Any advice on what I should do?

They have to sleep somewhere.
Until the chicks are old enough to roost, they will have to sleep on the floor or in a nest.

For them to roost at night, the chicks need enough wing feathers to get up on the roost. They also need enough feathers to keep warm in a row on the roost, rather than cuddled together under the hen.

Since you say the cleaning is not a problem right now, I would just let them keep sleeping there and not worry about it.

But if you want them out of the nestbox, you can block it off. That will force them to sleep on the floor until the chicks are able to roost. Whether that is better or worse than sleeping in the nest will depend on your coop setup and your preferences.

Either way, I am quite confident they will move to a roost at some point, without needing any prompting from you.

 

[ChickenDude12345]

They have to sleep somewhere.
Until the chicks are old enough to roost, they will have to sleep on the floor or in a nest.

For them to roost at night, the chicks need enough wing feathers to get up on the roost. They also need enough feathers to keep warm in a row on the roost, rather than cuddled together under the hen.

Since you say the cleaning is not a problem right now, I would just let them keep sleeping there and not worry about it.

But if you want them out of the nestbox, you can block it off. That will force them to sleep on the floor until the chicks are able to roost. Whether that is better or worse than sleeping in the nest will depend on your coop setup and your preferences.

Either way, I am quite confident they will move to a roost at some point, without needing any prompting from you.

I blocked off the next box. I put more bedding and they have plenty of corners to get into with the hen. I think it should work just fine