Nesting boxes

[thelordsblessing2017]

Hello,
I'm a first timer chicken owner. I have 6 chickens. Easter eggers, silver laced and black copper maran. They were 2 and 3 months old back at the beginning of February so they are 4 and 5 months old now. My question is, I haven't seen them use the nesting boxes yet. They all huddle and sleep on the floor in the corner of the coop; do I need a ladder or ramp for them to go up in the boxes. I also have perches in they but I haven't seen and use of those either. Its a brand new coop white inside so I would be able to tell. I have nesting pads and nesting herbs in the boxes trying to attractive them to them but doesn't seem to be working. Anyone have any ideas?

Thank you

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Hello and welcome to BYC! its great to have you here! I would definitely try placing faux eggs into the nest boxes, which basically shows them that is where they should lay. It works most of the time. You can get them from Tractor Supply. Some breeds can also take longer than 4 or 5 months of age to start laying. Hope this helps!

https://tinyurl.com/989x3z75

 

[thelordsblessing2017]

Hello and welcome to BYC! its great to have you here! I would definitely try placing faux eggs into the nest boxes, which basically shows them that is where they should lay. It works most of the time. You can get them from Tractor Supply. Some breeds can also take longer than 4 or 5 months of age to start laying. Hope this helps!

https://tinyurl.com/989x3z75

Oh thank you. Oh okay. I used to work at Tractor Supply .. I'll stop and pick some up today. Just in case and also to have them ready.

Do some chickens just like to sleep on the floor instead of perches?

 

[saysfaa]

At that age, they would be on the roosts if they could reasonably get to them. Guessing the dimensions from how big nests usually are and how big the pop door is, I think they do not have enough clearance between a bar and another bar or a bar and a wall to get up on the roosts. They usually need about as much clear space horizontally as the vertical distance is but sometimes need more is better.

The next boxes are lower, so might have enough clear space horizontally between a nest box and the opposite wall. It is a bit hard to tell the distances from the pictures. If there is that much space, the problem is likely that there isn't a landing spot before the dividers between the nest boxes. Their spread wings would hit the dividers or the wall. Some chickens are coordinated enough and/or strong enough and motivated enough to fly to a spot where they have to close their wings before they land. Many are not.

A ramp is a solution to problems like this in some set ups. They take a lot of floor space, though. I don't see a way to put one in this coop without making the floor space unusable by the chickens. Ramps should have a maximum of a 45 degree angle as a rule of thumb. Again, a particularly athletic hen might manage a steeper angle and some will struggle at 45 degrees.

 

[thelordsblessing2017]

At that age, they would be on the roosts if they could reasonably get to them. Guessing the dimensions from how big nests usually are and how big the pop door is, I think they do not have enough clearance between a bar and another bar or a bar and a wall to get up on the roosts. They usually need about as much clear space horizontally as the vertical distance is but sometimes need more is better.

The next boxes are lower, so might have enough clear space horizontally between a nest box and the opposite wall. It is a bit hard to tell the distances from the pictures. If there is that much space, the problem is likely that there isn't a landing spot before the dividers between the nest boxes. Their spread wings would hit the dividers or the wall. Some chickens are coordinated enough and/or strong enough and motivated enough to fly to a spot where they have to close their wings before they land. Many are not.

A ramp is a solution to problems like this in some set ups. They take a lot of floor space, though. I don't see a way to put one in this coop without making the floor space unusable by the chickens. Ramps should have a maximum of a 45 degree angle as a rule of thumb. Again, a particularly athletic hen might manage a steeper angle and some will struggle at 45 degrees.

Thank you, im going to measure and then see if a can make a ramp at 45 degrees. The pictures are deceiving, I can stand in there and move around. Im 5"7.. maybe I will move the roasting bars around and see if that helps. Thank you for your input.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Oh thank you. Oh okay. I used to work at Tractor Supply .. I'll stop and pick some up today. Just in case and also to have them ready.

Do some chickens just like to sleep on the floor instead of perches?

Of course I am not positive about your 2nd question, but @BlindLemonChicken answered it really well above

 

[BigBlueHen53]

They will not use the nesting boxes until they are ready to lay. You really do not want them to sleep in the nesting boxes. Chickens poop a lot at night and if they poop in the nesting boxes you will have very dirty eggs!

Some people find it helpful to go out after dark and physically place the birds up on the roost for a couple of nights until they learn that's where they are supposed to sleep. If you do it too early, at dusk when they can still see, they will just fly back down.