Moving the chicks to the coop tomorrow

[concrete_boots]

Did you block off nest boxes ? Be moving ours in next Week or 2 me trying to get opinions on blocking them off until they’re at egg laying age

 

[tpatricco]

Did you block off nest boxes ? Be moving ours in next Week or 2 me trying to get opinions on blocking them off until they’re at egg laying age

I'm planning to. I think its a good idea to keep them clean and for the birds to not get in the habit of sleeping in them.

 

[azygous]

Absolutely block off the nests as long as there are no adult hens needing to use them. Chicks have a tendency to experiment roosting and sleeping everywhere that strikes their fancy. It's hard enough peeling them off the rafters, stud spacers, and window ledges. Fishing them out of nest boxes and cleaning the darned things is just inviting extra work, not to mention breaking a habit when you do get sick and tired of cleaning poop out of the nests.

 

[Leonard4]

Did you block off nest boxes ? Be moving ours in next Week or 2 me trying to get opinions on blocking them off until they’re at egg laying age

Ours aren't actually installed yet, but I have read to deny access to nesting boxes until they start laying, otherwise they will just get used to pooping in them.

 

[chkva]

If they have no run, you can lock them up for a few days so they know that is their home otherwise they'll roam quite a distance and can get lost (had this happen to a chick before). If they have a run that they are staying in then there's no need to do it. But you'll have to go out at night most likely and put them in the coop for a week or two for them to understand they need to go into the coop at night.

I've done several chicks in the coop for a few days and it works so much better than just tossing them outside and thinking they'll know exactly what to do. Chicks wander because they're very curious to everything in the outside world, sometimes they wander too far and then either you find them or a predator does. Just speaking for experience.