Nest box dilemma.

[calicosmurph]

My two sweeties Lulu & Gracie seem to think the nest boxes are beds. I know they could possibly start laying in the next month or so and I'm not sure how to stop this or even if it's absolutely necessary to stop it. I have a really small pre fab coop that I got at the feed store. The roosts are just a couple inches or less above the floor and there's no way to attach them to make them higher as there is a door in the way. Not sure what I should do here. I've tried putting the stubborn girls back on the roosts but they just don't care and go right back to the boxes. :-/

 

[Fancychooklady]

I wouldn't worry about it, some of mine roost and some sleep in boxes. We built 8 nest boxes but the buggers all lay in one, I have even seen a roo laying in the nest box. Really don't sweat on the small stuff, they'll work it out.

 

[wsmith]

The only drawback of the hens sleeping in the nest boxes it that the bedding gets full of chicken poo. Usually, if the roosts are higher than the nests they will eventualy roost, but not always. Some just like being on the ground or in a nest box.

 

[calicosmurph]

Yesterday my hubby rigged a piece of wood across the doorway so that he could attach one of the roosting bars several inches higher, and the door can still be operable for me to clean the house out. And.....the little buggars are still asleep in the nest boxes this very minute! :-/

 

[Fancychooklady]

Today I found a double yolker at the bottom of the ramp in coronation cottage, seems that one of the hens laid it from the perch. Doesn't matter what you do , the chooks will have the last say.

 

[spikennipper]

I block my nest boxes off at night and reopen them in the morning so they are only accessible during the day to lay as I found mine too would be lazy and roost in them rather than perching and the eggs were getting caked in poo now they all roost on the pole bar one that roosts directly underneath the roost

still at least the nestboxes stay clean so just block them off overnight as they don't need them then.