nesting box questions

[JessicaAndHerChickens]

I had a couple of those plastic bins that you see stacked up at the dollar stores so I decided to use those as nesting boxes. I have two for my four hens. They do not have tops or lids. My hens havent started laying yet, and use these bins as part of their pooping ground. Does this mean they wont use these bins as their nesting boxes? Maybe I should stack them in the coop? Not sure what to do.

 

[FlashPointFarm]

How old are the pullets? I've had some bad luck putting nest boxes in with them before they were ready to start laying. They roost in them and poop in them. And will continue to do so in them once they do start laying per force of habit.

What helped me in the past is to put a gallon milk jug in there. If they want to lay in there bad enough, they will push the milk jug over.

 

[JessicaAndHerChickens]

If I remove the bins for awhile until they start laying (which really should be anytime now), do you think they will accept it as their nesting box then? They are about 21 weeks old.

 

[Judy]

I'd leave the nest boxes there, put fake eggs in them (golf balls, plastic easter eggs, whatever) and train them to sleep on their roost. Put them on the roost when you close the coop, and again after dark if necessary, every night. If the roost is not as big as the wide side of a 2x4, change it, as this is more comfortable for them. If you do this consistently, they should learn to sleep on the roost rather than in the nests in a week or two.

 

[cmom]

My birds were sleeping in the nest boxes. I put milk crates in the nest boxes in the evenings and took them out in the mornings for a week. It seems to have worked. I did it with my hens and with my pullets. Also I put a golf ball in each nest box. I also made sure the roosts are higher than the nest boxes. The birds tend to go to the highest spot to roost. My original roosts were at the same height as the nest boxes. I have raised it to just above the boxes. It's no fun when they get used to sleeping in the nest boxes and then you reach in and get poopy eggs. This happened to me in the beginning. I thought it was cute. I finally got tired of cleaning the poopy eggs and the poop out of the nest boxes..
I think you could use the bins you have.

Here is a neat site.

http://www.fowlvisions.com/?p=549