New 13-week olds roosting in nesting boxes

[ZaneyMama]

I have 10 13-week old pullets. Two of them were added when they were all 9 weeks and have started roosting on the edge of the nesting boxes. They sleep on the roost at night with all the others, but during the day, they roost on the nesting box. The nesting boxes are built out the side of the coop. There are three of them.

How can I stop this? No one is laying eggs yet, but when they start, it will be a problem, since the two are pooping in them.

Thanks!

 

[gogoalie]

Am new to this as well, & you will have to builda perch for them to get them not roosting in their nesting boxes, likewise, the nesting box can be coverless, or if covered, will need a sloping cover to disallow the hens from roosting. If you have boxes that aren't covered & or are sloped covered, you will need to cover the holes on the boxes & allow them to perch on their roosting poles...I just taped a cardboard box over my nexting boxes for my hens tonight...& will build something a lil' more sturdy in the future.

Good luck.

 

[Frza]

Hello, I have 4 12 week olds that have yet to spend the night on their roosting plank. They all sleep piled up in 1 nest box. It's frustrating but the only way to prevent this is by eliminating their access to boxes. I notice that during the daytime they will roost on anything that is raised. Silly birds.

 

[fiberart57]

Chickens want to sleep as high as possible so their roost should be higher than the nest box. There was a suggestion to put a sharply sloping roof on the nest boxes; I did that and it keeps them off the top of the boxes.

Close off the nest boxes until they get older. It's unlikely that they'll lay before 16 weeks and most start later. Either cover it with cardboard (which may get pecked and eaten) or a some scrap wood.

But give them a good roost at least four inches higher than the nest boxes.

Good luck, Mary

 

[jmorriso]

I know this is an old post, but I've been having the same problem. Today I got an idea. There is a piece of 15/32 chip board that is tacked in front of my nest boxes to keep the bedding from falling out. That edge is where my young girls always roost, even though there is plenty of room on the other side of the coop where the larger and higher roost is. So today I pulled out that board and cut notches all the way across so that the edge is pointy and should be uncomfortable to roost one. I left one end smooth to use as a "control" in my experiment. Here is what it looks like: