Nesting boxes and chickens about ready to start laying

[nkimay]

We have 4 chickens. 2 red sex-links and 2 golden comets. They are 16 weeks old. We have 3 nesting boxes in their coop. I'm concerned because they go to sleep every night in their boxes. Is this normal? They free range all day then at about 8:00 every night they go put themselves to bed in their boxes. We put plastic eggs in there, but all we find is a lot of poop in the boxes each day!! Will they lay eggs there since they sleep there? What do we do? We got the chicks at just a couple days old, and this is our first time raising chickens! Help!!

 

[chickens really]

Block off the boxes at night, late afternoon...They are not ready yet to lay.
Take out the plastic eggs. They will start getting red combs once ready to lay and will show interest in the boxes for a few days before the first egg. Just becoming a bad habit.

 

[Donna R Raybon]

I would block them out of the nests. Some coops have a divided interior where nesting area is closed off in late afternoon and opened back up after birds roost.

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

I agree with everyone else block them off. The birds will get bright red combs and Will do the egg squat before laying. Does you coop have roosts or any high up places they can sleep on? If they nesting boxes are the only higher up place to sleep that is why they are sleeping in there. Chickens like to sleep up off the ground. Good luck!
Jenna

 

[nkimay]

Ok. I'll try blocking them off from the nesting boxes. They have a roost and another inclosure that is off the ground. Then do i just open up the door to the nesting boxes in the morning so they'll see the fake eggs? One of the four has a comb that is pretty red. The others are still a light pink.
Thank you all!

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

Ok. I'll try blocking them off from the nesting boxes. They have a roost and another inclosure that is off the ground. Then do i just open up the door to the nesting boxes in the morning so they'll see the fake eggs? One of the four has a comb that is pretty red. The others are still a light pink.
Thank you all!

yes if the comb is bright red open them up in the morning and hope for eggs.

 

[PocketAcesMom]

I have a Red-Sex Link that started laying at 15 weeks. Another one gave me one egg at 15 weeks but that was several days ago and she hasn't laid again. Another one, I swear, acts like she is going to lay but doesn't. All seven of them are 16 weeks old. But, they have been squatting for a week or two and have nice red combs and wattles. Mine like to sleep in the nest boxes so I started putting a plastic bucket in each of the boxes at night and it has gotten better.