New chickens sleeping in nesting box

[Chickadeedeedeedee]

Hi! I'm new here and I'm a first time chicken keeper! We have 3 easter egger pullets around 15 weeks old that we've had for a week now. All is well and they seem to be getting used to us. They have a small coop and 17 foot run plus a free range area (they haven't ventured into the free range area yet). They seem to spend a lot of time in the nesting boxes when in the coop. And at dusk, they all pack into one box to sleep. We changed out one of their roosting bars to a 2x4 for better flat footed space. They use it a bit in the daytime, but seem to still like the boxes best. Could this be that they are just getting used to their new home and they'll figure out the roosting bar in time? Or is it an issue that needs addressing before they start laying?

 

[Isadora]

I would block off the nesting boxes until they're ready to lay. The last thing you want to do is inadvertantly train them to sleep and poop in the nest boxes.

 

[Opiumbrella]

Hi! I'm new here and I'm a first time chicken keeper! We have 3 easter egger pullets around 15 weeks old that we've had for a week now. All is well and they seem to be getting used to us. They have a small coop and 17 foot run plus a free range area (they haven't ventured into the free range area yet). They seem to spend a lot of time in the nesting boxes when in the coop. And at dusk, they all pack into one box to sleep. We changed out one of their roosting bars to a 2x4 for better flat footed space. They use it a bit in the daytime, but seem to still like the boxes best. Could this be that they are just getting used to their new home and they'll figure out the roosting bar in time? Or is it an issue that needs addressing before they start laying?

It’s fairly normal. They are nervous. They will get older and more brave and likely stop this behavior. I’ve had dozens of younger hens do this, and none ever kept on sleeping in the nesting boxes past laying age. Just be sure to clean them out. Some people don’t like them sleeping in there, some don’t care. If it doesn’t bug you and you just keep it clean there should be no issue.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is the roost bar higher than the nests? Raising the bar, if it's lower, will appeal to their desire to sit higher up to sleep for the night.

 

[Chickadeedeedeedee]

Thanks everyone. I haven't decided if I will block off the boxes or wait and see how they do as they get older. The roosting bars are higher than the boxes. It's only been a week lol maybe they'll catch on...

 

[aart]

Thanks everyone. I haven't decided if I will block off the boxes or wait and see how they do as they get older. The roosting bars are higher than the boxes. It's only been a week lol maybe they'll catch on...

I'd take care of it more assertively, they will probably be laying in a few weeks so you want to break the habit sooner rather than later.

 

[Chickadeedeedeedee]

I'd take care of it more assertively, they will probably be laying in a few weeks so you want to break the habit sooner rather than later.

Hopefully this isn't a dumb question, but if I block off the boxes and they're ready to lay, will they just lay elsewhere initially? How else will I know they're ready?

 

[neo71665]

They will most likely lay anywhere first and when you find the stray egg that's when you know they are laying. Once that happens open the box up and put a golf ball in there as a nest egg to train them to lay in the box.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hopefully this isn't a dumb question, but if I block off the boxes and they're ready to lay, will they just lay elsewhere initially? How else will I know they're ready?

I consider that an excellent question. Many pullets start looking for a good place to lay about a week before that first egg. That's when you might see them scratching around in the nests during the day. That is a sign that they might be laying soon, seeing them scratching around in the nests. Unfortunately "many" does not mean all. Some pullets don't seem to have a clue that the egg is coming even when it pops out. These are the ones that may lay from the roosts at night or drop the egg about anywhere in the coop or run when they are just walking around. Most of these figure it out in a few days but it can be aggravating until they do. The egg laying process is pretty complicated and it may take them a bit to get it right. That's why you might see some of those weird pullet eggs, they are still figuring it out. And that egg laying process includes when and where.

Usually if the roosts are higher than the nests you don't have this problem but usually doesn't mean always as you are seeing. If you can post a photo showing your roosts and the inside of your coop we might see something that can help.

Yours are 15 weeks old. The youngest I've seen a pullet lay is 16 weeks though most wait a few more weeks. If they were a few weeks younger I'd suggest waiting them out but I think Aart is right, it's time to be a bit more proactive. One possible action has been discussed. Block the nests off now and see where they sleep. Let them get used to sleeping somewhere else. After they've slept in the same spot for about a week, open the nests and see what they do. That could easily be enough to break their bad habit.

If your coop is fairly dark at night, another possibility is to go out after dark and move them to the roost. If it is dark they should stay up there. Do this every night until they get the message. Usually it doesn't take much to retrain them, but yours don't seem to be acting like normal chickens. That is probably because of the recent move.

How will you know that they are ready to lay? When you see an egg. There are several different signs that they might be getting ready to lay, but those are just clues that they might be. Even if you see those signs it doesn't mean they are ready for sure. Sometimes they can surprise you out of the blue with an egg with no warning. It is frustrating but there is no sure sign. And there is no sure age. I've had some not lay for 9 months.

Sometimes it isn't that hard to retrain them where to lay even if they start to lay somewhere else. Sometimes it is. Even if your nests are open they may decide another place is a better nest. They don't necessarily do what you want them to, they do what they want to do. I want my nests open when they start looking for a nest. It improves the odds of them laying in the nests but it doesn't guarantee it.

Good luck. I think you have time to straighten them out.

 

[Chickadeedeedeedee]

I consider that an excellent question. Many pullets start looking for a good place to lay about a week before that first egg. That's when you might see them scratching around in the nests during the day. That is a sign that they might be laying soon, seeing them scratching around in the nests. Unfortunately "many" does not mean all. Some pullets don't seem to have a clue that the egg is coming even when it pops out. These are the ones that may lay from the roosts at night or drop the egg about anywhere in the coop or run when they are just walking around. Most of these figure it out in a few days but it can be aggravating until they do. The egg laying process is pretty complicated and it may take them a bit to get it right. That's why you might see some of those weird pullet eggs, they are still figuring it out. And that egg laying process includes when and where.

Usually if the roosts are higher than the nests you don't have this problem but usually doesn't mean always as you are seeing. If you can post a photo showing your roosts and the inside of your coop we might see something that can help.

Yours are 15 weeks old. The youngest I've seen a pullet lay is 16 weeks though most wait a few more weeks. If they were a few weeks younger I'd suggest waiting them out but I think Aart is right, it's time to be a bit more proactive. One possible action has been discussed. Block the nests off now and see where they sleep. Let them get used to sleeping somewhere else. After they've slept in the same spot for about a week, open the nests and see what they do. That could easily be enough to break their bad habit.

If your coop is fairly dark at night, another possibility is to go out after dark and move them to the roost. If it is dark they should stay up there. Do this every night until they get the message. Usually it doesn't take much to retrain them, but yours don't seem to be acting like normal chickens. That is probably because of the recent move.

How will you know that they are ready to lay? When you see an egg. There are several different signs that they might be getting ready to lay, but those are just clues that they might be. Even if you see those signs it doesn't mean they are ready for sure. Sometimes they can surprise you out of the blue with an egg with no warning. It is frustrating but there is no sure sign. And there is no sure age. I've had some not lay for 9 months.

Sometimes it isn't that hard to retrain them where to lay even if they start to lay somewhere else. Sometimes it is. Even if your nests are open they may decide another place is a better nest. They don't necessarily do what you want them to, they do what they want to do. I want my nests open when they start looking for a nest. It improves the odds of them laying in the nests but it doesn't guarantee it.

Good luck. I think you have time to straighten them out.

This is so helpful and I really appreciate it! The attached photo is a stock photo from where we bought the coop. We've changed out one of those bars to a 2x4. You can see the nesting boxes sit lower and to the right of the bars. While the roosting bars are technically higher than the nests, it's not by much. I'm a bit surprised it was designed this way. Anyways, I blocked off the nests this evening. They went in for the night and they were all 3 scrunched near the window but must have been on the bars based on where their heads were. I feel a little bad blocking off the nests, but it sounds like it can be a process that I'd rather attempt to fix now! They do scratch around in the nests during the day and (I should have mentioned in my original post) they could be 15-20 weeks old. That's the range we were told when we got them. Also, I haven't looked in on them at night because I didn't want to spook them. I'm such a rookie, but I want them to be happy, healthy, and safethanks again!!