Nesting box

[AHal04]

Our chicks will be 17 weeks old and they will not go inside the nesting box also we have stuff so they can roost but they just want to cuddle on the ground. Is this normal or am I not doing something right?

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

What kinds of chickens are they?

 

[RollTideChicken]

Are they already laying eggs? If not they won't have a reqson to go in the nest box. As for the roost, is it new to them? Mine sometimes take a while before they roost and prefer to sleep on the ground. Tou xan begin training them. Once they bed down for the night go out and place each of them on the roost. Use a red or dim light.

 

[snow5164]

Do you have fake eggs in the nesting boxes? It makes them curious , I watch mine turn over the fake eggs then lay their own beside them.

It’s true what @RollTideChicken says , I’m training my 25 pullets every night at dust with a night light on , I’m down to 3-4 still needing help after 12 days ...

Something new for my resume

Have fun with your chickies

 

[AHal04]

No they aren’t laying yet.

Are they already laying eggs? If not they won't have a reqson to go in the nest box. As for the roost, is it new to them? Mine sometimes take a while before they roost and prefer to sleep on the ground. Tou xan begin training them. Once they bed down for the night go out and place each of them on the roost. Use a red or dim light.

 

[AHal04]

I did put fake eggs in. I will also start training them. Thank both of you for your help. I appreciate it.

Do you have fake eggs in the nesting boxes? It makes them curious , I watch mine turn over the fake eggs then lay their own beside them.

It’s true what @RollTideChicken says , I’m training my 25 pullets every night at dust with a night light on , I’m down to 3-4 still needing help after 12 days ...

Something new for my resume

Have fun with your chickies

 

[rosemarythyme]

If they're not close to laying there's no reason for them to be in the nest box, so don't worry about that - better that they not go into them at all right now.

As far as roosting that's something they have to learn, either from older birds or from you. If you pick them up and put them on the roost at night they should start getting the hang of it soon.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

If they're not close to laying there's no reason for them to be in the nest box, so don't worry about that - better that they not go into them at all right now.

As far as roosting that's something they have to learn, either from older birds or from you. If you pick them up and put them on the roost at night they should start getting the hang of it soon.

Beautiful answer. It's like you took the words out of my finger tips lol

 

[snow5164]

Since we don’t know the breed we don’t know how close to laying they are ...and they don’t just go in the day they lay , checking it out and figuring what the nesting box is for is part of the process for a chick .

Curtains are a feature mine like, we did 50% with curtains and every single egg got laid in those two boxes.

Happy roosting training ,I place mine on the roost when they are young . They’re busy and don’t know where to go ...
I had 3 in one coop and 1 in the other fooling around at dust .. I’m almost done showing them how to be chickens

 

[aart]

Our chicks will be 17 weeks old and they will not go inside the nesting box also we have stuff so they can roost but they just want to cuddle on the ground. Is this normal or am I not doing something right?

Let's get the terminology straight.
Roosts are where they usually want to sleep.
Nests are only for laying eggs, definitely not for sleeping.
Roost should be higher than nests by about 12", so they won't sleep(and poop) in nests.
As to why your birds are sleeping on the floor, maybe roosts are not easily accessible?
Pics of the inside of your coop, showing nests and roosts, would help here.