My Chicken's Roost Near The Highest Point In Their Coop...

[chris_m90731]

Hey all...I've recently built a coop, installed a nice/roomy/full o' hay "brooding box" (I guess that's what it's called), that is raised above the ground by cinder blocks (approx. 6in.)--yet my girls always roost at the highest point in the coop--which is not protected from the elements.

How do get them to use the box? Eliminate the high point? Raise the "brooding box?"

 

[emvickrey]

They're gonna go to the highest point. A survival instinct to avoid predators while they sleep. In my coop, we have 2 cages that are hung a bit high. Eye level for me and they contain roosters that either will not get along or get picked on. I have one hen that decided that is where she was sleeping. I really don't know how she gets all the way up there but she does. Now my AO decided thats where she is gonna sleep too. She even laid an egg up there. The top of the cages are covered with shingles and on top of the shingles are piles of poop. Not exactly the place I would choose to sleep. I'd rather sleep in the warm straw with the others around me.

So other than raising the next boxes you may want to make it unaccessable fo them to get where they are going to. Tomorrow we are going to put chicken wire along the top of the cages to keep them off.

 

[Marlinchaser]

They will roost at highest point, You dont want them roosting in the brooding box(nesting box) they poop where they roost, and if the go in nest box, your eggs will be covered with poop.

 

[chris_m90731]

roger that. thanks for the info

 

[emvickrey]

Quote:
We have 2 long roosts in the coop. More than what they need actually. I have yet to see them sleep on either. They prefer to sleep on a flat surface. Our nesting area is more of a shelf with a couple of dividers. They almost all sleep there and a couple sleep on top of some cages that have roosters that aren't getting along with the main guy in them. Those cages are covered with shingles to avoid them getting pooped on.

I just clean out the nesting shelf very often. We always collect eggs before night anyway. They only go on the shelf to sleep or lay an egg. They have an enclosed run so as soon as daylight arrives they are up and out.

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, chickens WILL roost on the highest thing possible. So, either block that area off (removing whatever they're sitting on, or preventing access to it by stapling chickenwire across underside of rafters or blocking the vertical space atop whatever they're sitting on), or *make* it their official roost and retailor ventilation etc accordingly.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat