nest boxes and chickens curiosity

[geojerry]

I am new to chicken raising and having a blast with it. I just love my hens.
Here is my curiosity: When I first put my pullets into the coop they wanted to sleep in the nesting boxes, so I put cardboard boxes in them to dissuade them from sleeping in the boxes. A couple times they ALL tried to cram themselves into the nesting box behind the boxes (it was funny) I moved them and would not let them do it. Now, the hens are about 16 weeks old and have learned to use the perch to roost. When is it ok to take the boxes out of the nesting boxes and not have to worry about them sleeping and pooping in them. I don't want to create any hen bad habits. Looking forward to hearing your ideas. Thanks

 

[EastmanEggs]

Its so exciting waiting for those very first eggs!

Simple answer: works 80% of the time.

With your nest boxes closed/ sealed off, wait until you find that one of your hens has laid. Add that egg and 2-5 faux eggs (golfballs/ceramic eggs) to one or each nest box. This encourages them to lay where there's an existing nest.

Remove eggs daily, leaving faux eggs.

Also- make the roost higher than the nest boxes so they dont wish to sleep in nests. Horizontal 2x4 roost is ideal in cold climates, wide face up.

 

[EastmanEggs]

Also,

As you didnt specify how many birds you have, but general rule of thumb is 1:4, nest boxes to hens.

I have 8 boxes, they all lay in the same 3... probably because of the "lay with the nest" as I mentioned earlier.

 

[geojerry]

Also,

As you didnt specify how many birds you have, but general rule of thumb is 1:4, nest boxes to hens.

I have 8 boxes, they all lay in the same 3... probably because of the "lay with the nest" as I mentioned earlier.

Thanks for the info...I find it very interesting. I have 4 hens (2 RIR and 2 SLW). There are also 4 nesting boxes.

 

[aart]

You can open the nests now, put some fake eggs/golf balls in all but one of them. give them time to check them out before they start laying.

You will probably have to keep watch and not allow them to sleep in them, they may try to and they may not, but if they do....
......break the habit at once.

I've rigged a hinge cover to block the nests, I put it down just before dusk,
then flip it back up after dark when I do my head count and close the pop door.
Takes a week or two of that before they stop trying to sleep in nests and I don't have to block them anymore.

 

[sunflour]

Since they have discovered the roosts, they should prefer to roost and not sleep in the nests.

Go ahead and remove the boxes and follow art's advice to add fake eggs to the nests.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with opening the nest now. When a pullet first starts to lay she may drop her first eggs about anywhere, from the roosts or just walking around. Most have control of that first egg but a lot don’t. Where that pullet lays her first controlled egg normally becomes her nest. I much prefer that first controlled egg to be in one of my nests instead of somewhere else like a corner of the coop under the roosts or some well-hidden location away from the coop.

It’s not that unusual for chicks to sleep in the nests before they make their way up to the roosts. I think having lower nests makes this more likely. I’ve had brooder raised chicks start using the real roosts anywhere from 5 weeks old to several months old but the normal age for mine as long as there are no mature chickens on the roosts is between 10 and 12 weeks. When I have older chickens on the main roosts is when they can really be delayed in starting to roost. I’ve seen a broody hen take two week old chicks to the roosts so this timing can be all over the place. Anyway, the point is that your pullets are beyond this point. They are used to sleeping on the roosts and should remain there as long as the roosts are not too crowded and are higher than the nests. Until they are ready to roost they tend to sleep in a group in some protected place. That is often a corner of the coop but it could easily be a nest, especially if it is low to the ground. A nest is supposed to look like a protected place.

Often about a week before she starts to lay a pullet will look for a safe place to lay. She will investigate different places and scratch around. I fully agree with putting fake eggs in at least some of the nests to show them where to lay. I’ve found that to be tremendously helpful, even with established layers, but someone recently posted that they put fake eggs in some of their nests but left a couple without fake eggs. Their pullets chose the empty nest. You are dealing with living animals so none of these behavior things come with guarantees. Sometimes they will make you pull your hair out with frustration. Still, from what I have seen a fake egg normally helps a lot. I use golf balls.

When they are investigating where to lay and scratching you may find fake eggs and nesting material on the coop floor. That’s another reason I like the nest open early. If you have a problem I’d like to fix it before they start to lay. The normal fix for this problem is to raise the lip on the nest. If they are going to sleep in the nests I want to fix that before I start to get poopy eggs.

The normal fix for them wanting to sleep in the nests once they are old enough to roost is to either raise the roosts if they are not clearly higher than the nests or expand the roosts so they have plenty of room. Expanding the roosts is more important for mixed age flocks. Since yours are the same age they are going to be highly likely to be able to share roosts. When I’m integrating younger chickens is when I see the need for plenty of roost space. You may need to physically move them from the nest to the roost after it is quite dark to get them in that habit.

Good luck! I know this is long but I really think you are doing OK.