My two pullets sleep in one nesting box every night ever since they were little, one lays her egg in the box, one lays outside of the box. Is OK to let them do that? I do clean the box very often. Also, one of them laid an egg at 8:30 this morning, why so early? is possible she will lay another egg today?
This is personal preference. I don't like it myself, because of the poo that is excreted at night! Large quantities! But with my silkies, I wouldn't mind it at all. They don't poo much at night, and they sleep on shavings anyways. Yes, I have had chickens lay more than once per day, then rest for a day. Some of mine lay way before 8 am. I hear the egg song sometimes at 6 am (I have light bulbs for warmth on now).
My 2 year old Plymouth Rock sleeps in the nest box at night...its a new phase, I'm sure she'll eventually move on to another spot. I just try to keep it extra clean since all the hens use that box. No biggie.
I don't let mine sleep in the nesting boxes. I don't like poo on my eggs. If I have a determined hen / pullet, then I put a cardboard box in the nesting boxes at night and then go out first thing in the morning and remove them. I do this for a couple of weeks until I break them of the habit. Good luck!
I have a couple that do it, I think they want to be first to lay in the morning, sometimes I go out and the hens will be standing around waiting to go into a nest box when there 3 more empty, silly girls
I greatly prefer my hens not sleep in the nest box. They did one night due to an error on my part while remodeling their roosting area. It was loaded with chicken poo by morning.
