nest boxes ( a lesson learned)

[panner123]

Glad to see the lod post are being used. I haven't posted anything in over three yearsbut check in every so often. I still use the milk crates, but have cut back on the number of chickens I have. Only four hens in the pen with the coop and another five running around the yard. They kept getting, so I let them go where they want. Nine of them would sleep in the coop when they were in the pen. They stay in the blackberry bushes in the day and sleep in a tree at night, year round. I have put them in the coopa few times when it has snowed, only to have them get out of the pen the next day and there is no catching them after that. Back on track. If you want some real good information go back to the early posts. Most of us old timers are now looking down on those raising chickens now. I know my days are numbered and will be glad to join those that have gone before me. Many happy hours passing our ideas betwen us.

 

[gpeters3]

Didn't see the exact forum for my comment but it is related to nest boxes and perches. I went in the coop last night and all the girls were perched on the front lip of the nesting boxes with butts in the boxes (which explains the poop in the boxes). Comments I've seen on nite roosting imply that it may be due to my perch location being 9" below and 7" in front of the box lip. If I raise the perch any higher I'm afraid they won't be able to get up there safely. The bantams fly pretty well but the big ones struggle and I've never seen one on the high perch, roughly 16-20 inches higher than the nest perch. I put that one in for the bantams so they could get away from the bullies.

 

[KarennFallon]

Have tried the milk crates over the last couple of days and they won't use them, maybe haven't gotten use to them. They prefer the bale of straw I have in the coop, which will be gone soon and they may go to the crates once there is no other choice.

 

[KarennFallon]

Thanks for your info panner123. I have to keep my hens in a run, not free range. Their door to the run from the coop is missing so no shutting them inside, they come out as early as they like and head inside before it's dark. Do you shut in your penned hens? What about during the winter? I've read that some suggest "hardening" them to the weather as long as it's not too harsh. I was wondering what you do as you seem to have both free range and penned chickens.

 

[gpeters3]

Thanks for your info panner123. I have to keep my hens in a run, not free range. Their door to the run from the coop is missing so no shutting them inside, they come out as early as they like and head inside before it's dark. Do you shut in your penned hens? What about during the winter?​

Mine had no door to an 8x20 run with concrete floor and freely moved back and forth summer and winter even in the snow. I only lost one and that might have been a case of chicken murder. (She was my brood mom and the bottom of pecking order).

 

[Elaine Wright]

Didn't see the exact forum for my comment but it is related to nest boxes and perches. I went in the coop last night and all the girls were perched on the front lip of the nesting boxes with butts in the boxes (which explains the poop in the boxes). Comments I've seen on nite roosting imply that it may be due to my perch location being 9" below and 7" in front of the box lip. If I raise the perch any higher I'm afraid they won't be able to get up there safely. The bantams fly pretty well but the big ones struggle and I've never seen one on the high perch, roughly 16-20 inches higher than the nest perch. I put that one in for the bantams so they could get away from the bullies.

I have hens roosting on the nesting boxes. We dropped the boxes one inch below the roosting rods. No more nesting box roosting. No more poop in the nesting boxes

 

[shortgrass]

Didn't see the exact forum for my comment but it is related to nest boxes and perches. I went in the coop last night and all the girls were perched on the front lip of the nesting boxes with butts in the boxes (which explains the poop in the boxes). Comments I've seen on nite roosting imply that it may be due to my perch location being 9" below and 7" in front of the box lip. If I raise the perch any higher I'm afraid they won't be able to get up there safely. The bantams fly pretty well but the big ones struggle and I've never seen one on the high perch, roughly 16-20 inches higher than the nest perch. I put that one in for the bantams so they could get away from the bullies.

What I've done in my main coop is a "stepladder" effect for roosting...

The entire structure starts out 3.5' from the wall on the floor, and every 12" upwards, there's a 2x4 set in another 8" IN towards the wall. They continue at an angle 18" apart and 8" in for the rest, 5 rungs up, to 5'.. It's 5' across, so room for younger or bantam to hide out on a lower rung, and biddies get the top rung... Oddly, the silkies have even made it up in the chicken world and roost at the top


My nesting boxes are on an opposite wall, only the top row has bars set on them so the hens can get to them, otherwise they puck a box and gly up to it, no roost required. I did that to keep them from roosting in the next boxes

 

[shortgrass]

Have tried the milk crates over the last couple of days and they won't use them, maybe haven't gotten use to them. They prefer the bale of straw I have in the coop, which will be gone soon and they may go to the crates once there is no other choice.

I put shavings in my crates to fill in all the holes on the bottom, then I cram straw in them; the girls love to kick fresh straw around in there and remake their nests, so maybe since they like the bales so much, put a flake in each box and see if it doesn't encourage them ... It may take them a bit to get the point that you want them to move