I have had chickens for just over one year now. Recently, the ladies have begun to perch/roost on the bar outside of the nesting boxes...heads out of the box and tail end in the box. They are pooping into the entrance ways of all the nesting boxes! YUCK! This is a new behavior and I want to discourage it asap. The girls (36 of them), are located in a three stall barn. They have seven large perches in the coops, and I added one more in case they are feeling "crowded". There are six nesting boxes in each of the two main coops (stalls). I have removed the comfortable bar from outside of the nesting boxes to try and discourage them from pooping where they lay. Some of the girls are being stubborn and sitting on the thin edge of the boxes anyway. Advice is welcome.
Try putting a dark "curtain" on the front of the boxes, leave a slight opening so they can find their way in when they need to lay in the daytime. I've heard from other members that this works.
Maybe I'm dense, but I can't picture what you mean by "curtain"...Is it one large curtain in front of all the boxes? Or do you mean a small individual curtain at the front of each box? Sorry if I sound confuzzled. Thanks.
I've had year old hens and older develop this bad habit all of a sudden. Move, move, move them . . . fairly easy to do after dark. They will get the idea that it is not a "comfortable" place to roost. And, you have already started down that route by taking off the bar and adding another roost. I haven't tried a curtain but know that some experienced chicken folks believe that a completely dark nest box is best (egg eating concerns) and use curtains. Of course, the hens have to find a way to get into the box during the day. The curtain may also interfere with roosting. Closing the boxes off completely in the evening would work, too. Steve
