Poop...

TnChickHen

Chirping
8 Years
Jun 14, 2011
120
2
91
TN
Ok, so I moved our coop due to an infestation of bugs and yuckies and sickies.... Now, last night, I put in new nesting boxes (made from a ladder and some plywood) and they STILL poop in the boxes! What is going on!? how can I get them to quit? I've got 3 roosting poles. Our new coop isn't completely done yet, but getting there. Any advice??
 
Are they very young chickens? Sometimes they do grow out of it and start roosting.......Or, you could cover the boxes at night and then open them up in the morning.......
 
I agree with Chicmom if they're young birds...many feel more secure cuddled into next boxes at night. Even with adults, you can cover them each evening when you go to check on your birds, and then remove the covers each morning. Break them of the habit though - nobody likes to find poop mixed in with eggs. I've picked no more than a few pieces of poo from nest boxes over the past two years - teach them now that it's not an option.
 
Some are young, some are not. The older ones, like my rooster and a couple of BOs, sit on the roosting poles. How would I go about covering them at night? just a piece of plastic or what? and how do I break them of this awful habit? If I put anything on top of the boxes, they seem to crap right on top of whatever that is (be it a piece of wood or hard plastic lid to a bin or something.) I'm stumped, and a little irritated by it.
 
Do you have a pic of how your nest boxes are situated??? I used cardboard to cover mine - but mine are only open at the front, not the top. For you, maybe chicken wire sections - I doubt they'd like to perch on top of wiggly wobbly wire.
 
I'll catch a picture in a second, but they are open on top. Could that be the issue???? I might just put some chicken wire on top of it, i have plenty of it. Although my DH might look at me like i'm a nut case, oh well! haha
 
Here is a picture of our nesting boxes:

2011-07-13103224.jpg
 
Oh yeah...I can see them roosting there and pooping because it's really more like a shelf than actual boxes. You can try just laying a long, narrow sheet of chicken wire over them (kind of like putting foil on the counters to discourage cats from jumping up there). The wire will probably discourage them simply because it's uncomfortable. If that doesn't work, you may need to build nest boxes that are actual boxes, or some folks even use covered cat litter boxes, or the 5 gallon buckets laid on their sides w/half a lid. Hope the wire works for you.
 

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