Newly -nesting box question

[atravers]

My chicks will be arriving in June. Once they are old enough I intend to incorporate them into a chicken coop on our property that already has three hens. There are two coops with a total of four nesting boxes. The hens use two nesting boxes to lay their eggs and the other two nesting boxes they like to poop in. Will this be an issue for my three girls? How can I stop them from pooping in the other nesting boxes. I intend to clean it out and put proper bedding in it but will that deter them from doing their "business" in there?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

My chicks will be arriving in June. Once they are old enough I intend to incorporate them into a chicken coop on our property that already has three hens. There are two coops with a total of four nesting boxes. The hens use two nesting boxes to lay their eggs and the other two nesting boxes they like to poop in. Will this be an issue for my three girls? How can I stop them from pooping in the other nesting boxes. I intend to clean it out and put proper bedding in it but will that deter them from doing their "business" in there?

A large accumulation of waste in a nest box would indicate to me that birds are likely sleeping in the nest boxes vs. on the roost. Have you observed this to be the case (ie going out at dusk or dawn and finding birds in there)? This is a common bad habit and one that is generally fairly easy to break them of. It is also one you would probably encounter when you moved the young birds out regardless of whether or not your existing birds had the habit.
You can either block off the access to the boxes during roosting hours (I would go out an hour or so before "bedtime" and block it off, then just go out in the morning and remove the block) or go out at roost time and physically move all birds who are attempting to settle in a box over to the roost. Once the birds are in the habit of roosting for the night you can monitor nest box cleanliness to spot relapses and repeat the training as needed.
What is the interior of your coop like? How do the roosts and nest boxes sit in relation to each other? Are your roosts set higher than the nest boxes? Photos of your interior may help us spot potential fixes that would work for your particular coop and flock.

 

[atravers]

Thank you for the advice. Keep in mind that this coop is my tenants and I plan to clean it out entirely and put new shavings on the ground. Attached are three pics. During the day, theses hens are either wandering around in the pen or roosting on the perches. They go in the coop right after dusk. I'm looking forward to sprucing it up! The last pic shows the two coops. The one on the right is where they like to poop.



.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[mymilliefleur]

Glad you joined us!

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Enjoy your flock and have a spring!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Ol Grey Mare gave you some good suggestions. Do you know what kind of roosts the coops have? Those prefab coops often have very thin roosts that are uncomfortable for the birds and they will pick something else to sleep in on, the roosts are often low to the ground compared to the nests also.

 

[nj2wv]

Welcome to BYC !!