Partying chickens?

[jojo54]

I throw some scratch on the floor of the coop at night when I am shutting them in and they are already on their roosts. This gives them something to do when it gets light the next day. It also stirs up the poop into the deeplitter and saves me from having to do it. It is funny when I shut them up and say good night because they know you're throwing something on the floor but can't see it so you have this row of chickens leaning down on their perches peering into the dark trying to see what you threw on the floor.

 

[BWchicken]

When I used straw or hay in the nest boxes I had the same problem! Now I use pine shavings in the nests, it's soft and comfortable for them but not as 'interesting' for them to play in and pick at so they leave it alone.

edited to add - not sure how your setup is, but make sure you have a 'lip' on the front of the nest boxes to hold everything in, this helped us more than anything else. We screwed a 2x4 (turned up on it's side) along the front of the nest boxes and it works great. Regardless of which type bedding you use, without some sort of barrier to help hold it in, the girls will shove it all out even if they're not trying to.