Pooping in the nest box

[willowtreecreek]

I have 4 buff orpingtons. 2 are only about 7 weeks but my other 2 are just about ready to start laying eggs. I have 2 nest boxes. I have been making them available because once my girls start laying I would like them to go in there. However, SOMEONE, in pooping all in the back of the nest boxes. I have yet to catch any of the girls in there but they leave the evidence behind! They have a roost and yes the roost is higher than the nest box. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to close off the boxes until I actually get eggs? Any advice would be REALLY appreciated.

 

[Chickaree]

I am having the same issue. I have two Australorps that want to sleep in the nest box at night. I am going to have dh build a screen so that we can block the boxes off at night and push the screen back during they day. Mine are 13 wks. old.

 

[willowtreecreek]

Mine arent sleeping in there because when I check on them at night they are on the roost or on the floor. It's making me mad though.

 

[willowtreecreek]

does anyone have any answers? They filled the box up with poop again today! Arg!

 

[kurby]

I have no help for you, and would like to here some advice as well. I have some youngins around 1yr starting to lay and they are in the nest boxes poopin and sleeping. I have a roost in there but, some stay in the nest! grrrr
K

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I would assume it is the younger ones huddling in the nest boxes, but it could be an older one avoiding roosting with the youngsters. I have found that my younger birds do not roost at that age, it usually takes them at least 3-4 months before they really want to roost. Now that my 4 month olds are roosting my two mature hens have taken to sleeping in the nest boxes.. *sigh* I'm okay with it for right now because the nest boxes they are sleeping in are un-used for egg-laying.

Try to sneak out there at night and seeing which one(s) are sleeping in the box. It would be easier to help you if we knew exactly what age group we are dealing with.

-Kim

 

[Mrs MIA]

Are the roosts higher than the nest boxes? Chickens like to get as high up off the ground as possible, and if the nests are the highest thing, then that's where they're going to go. Good luck catching your culprits! LOL!
(I put a surveillance camera in my coop... for broodies, but it works for stuff like this, too.

)

 

[estpr13]

I have the same problem. I think two of my BOs are roosting at the nest entrance and since there isn't a roost (fly up board) in front of the nest their poop goes into the nest. I wonder if putting a flyup board in front of the nest, like some commercial nest boxes I see, would help? Don't know.

 

[greenmulberry]

I had this problem and a combination of going out every night and kicking them out of the nestboxes, and adding another very high roost, solved the problem eventually.

Funny, for a while I would come out after dark, open the door the the nest boxes, and they would grumble and getup and leave. I would stand at the nest box door until they settled in on a roost. Otherwise, I pushed them right out of the box. I have a raised coop that I cannot walk into, so the only way to get a hen out of the nestbox is by opening the egg door and pushing them out.

 

[willowtreecreek]

Thank you for your responses. I'll try to sneak out and see who it is. My roosts are higher than my nest boxes but I could go higher with my roosts. Maybe that will help. I guess I'll have to start pushing them out every night.