Is it normal for my hens to poop in their nests, or am I doing something wrong with design? BTW I am a newbie at this.
I think it is normal. I have been raising chickens for 10 years and it seems that I always have one hen that thinks the nest boxes are for sleeping in. Same box each night. I just go in and clean it out with a cat litter scooper each morning. Takes about 10 seconds to do. No big deal to me. I know some people are vehemently opposed to this, but it doesn't really bother me. I use pine shavings in the nest boxes and so it is easy enough to clean out. No biggie.
Many a war has been waged on the hen that hangs out it the nest box even when they are not laying. Yes they will poop in there, try to sleep in there, etc. If they are roosting in them at night try covering them up if you can't move them. If you can, turn the opening to a wall so they can't get in at night or take the boxes out at night if possible. Mine are mounted to the wall so I have had to place a board in front of them at night. It only takes about a week for them to get the message. Well until the next hen decides to pick up the habit. Good Luck
Thanks everybody. I will probably try to cover them up. I am using pine saw dust inside their nests. Some say Saw dust and others say Hay. Which do you prefer?
