Keeping Chickens On Roost????

[afeatherfan]

How Do I Keep The Chickens On The Roost And Not In The Nest At Night??? They Have Made It All Nasty.
I Have Went Out And Even Moved Them On The Roost At Night An They Will Still Go Back
To The Nest It Is Awfull Poo Every Where And I Have Plenty Of Roosting Space
For Everyone. Any Body??????????

 

[gritsar]

You have to do it after dark, when they can't see to move back.
If all else fails, block off the nestboxes and open them back up in the morning. This requires being an early, early riser...of which I am not.

Are your nestboxes higher than your roosts?

 

[chickenshagg]

I had 3 that hatched from a broody hen at the end of the of the summer. They were the only ones that I had a problem with sleeping in the nest boxes. Their mom moved to the roost but they wanted to stay in the box. I would go out and move them to the roost only for them to move back to the nest boxes. Sometimes the first one was moving back before I could get the last one out. Finally I went to putting a board across the nest boxes to prevent them from getting in. That was not as simple as it sounds because I would go out in the morning and find the board knocked over so I had to wedge the board in tight so that they could not pull it out.

 

[sourland]

If your hens are presently laying, block the openings to the nest boxes in late afternoon and reopen in the AM. If your hens are not laying, block the nest boxes until they start. Do this until sleeping on the roost becomes habit. If by any chance you are talking about silkies, they freuently refuse to roost rather choosing to huddle together in a nest box, corner, etc. This may present an even more difficult problem.

 

[afeatherfan]

Thanks for all the advice .Yes my roosts are higher than the nesting boxes . I have Black Copper Marans and every blasted one of them go in those boxes. I will put wire across all of them
and put a milk crate for the 1 that layes me a egg and when they all start laying I will take down my wire. Thanks again ..I dont know why I didnt think off that GEE

 

[Bobby Joe]

This too is a problem for me ,laying boxes at recomended height ,roost are higher than them even real high and plenty room gonna try blocking them off ,thanks for the tip...