Poopy nest boxes

[omelette'smom]

I may be onto something with my girls, they don't all like to use perches so they sleep in the nest boxes that i always have to clean out! I use hay and have to dump the whole clump out because there is frozen poopy! I do this every day replacing the hay. I ran out so i'm using wood chips except for 1 box still has hay! THEY KEEP THIS ONE CLEAN! This is where i find ALL my eggs every day and i haven't needed to do so much maintenance! I average 2 a day right now...I know....i made it seem like All my eggs are abundant! However, both eggs EVERY day!

 

[gritsar]

Are your nest boxes lower than your roosts? Chickens like to go as high as possible to roost, so if your nest boxes are higher, they'll likely chose the boxes over the roosts.
I had two girls that like to roost in their nest boxes, even though my roosts are higher. It took two weeks of me going out there every night and moving them to a roost before they got the message.

 

[spook]

Super! Are your perches higher then the nests? They like to be at the highest point and also, take some cardboard and cover over the nests that aren't in use other then sleeping. If they are young layers, they need to learn some "manners" if they are old, they still need to learn some manners! Teee heee!

 

[omelette'smom]

3 are the same height but 3 are higher. The middle higher one is the laying box! I tried to rip them off the wall so i could put in a set of only 3 but it wouldn't budge.

I may need more perches. 10" per bird...I may not have enough space for the ones that prefer inside the coop as opposed to the run. They pair off and hang out gossiping.

My dh thinks we should leave it for now and make the coop bigger in the spring!! Coulda' knocked me over! He certainly has come a long way!

 

[digitS']

Personally, I would block off the boxes they don't use them for a nest and make darn sure none of the birds tries to switch over and roost in the favorite nestbox. That should be kept "sacred" and for the purpose of nesting. You can even block it off a half hour before lights off.

Learning to roost in the boxes just makes for a mess. They not only mess up the boxes but they mess up themselves.

They feel warm and comfortable in the boxes. That's good but you should disrupt their comfort by moving them. If they are intractable, make it more of an uncomfortable experience. "Okay, you thought you were going to be nice and cozy, now you are not even going to share the roost with your sisters. You can sleep by yourself on the ladder, backwards!"

Steve

 

[pookiethebear]

My perches are higher than my nest boxes and mine prefer the nest boxes or the floor. I use sawdust in the nest boxes. We go out every morning to open the pop door and clean the nest boxes out with a plastic fork and fling the poop onto the coop floor. I will stir up the pine shavings/sawdust/droppings on the floor every so often. This spring I will do a total clean out of the coop - add that to the compost heap and start the year off fresh.

 

[rooster0209]

ok, dumb question here but why is it bad for there to be some poop in the nest boxes?

I have straw in mine since it got cold out. They mostly spend their time on the roosts but sometimes when I go out to check on them, some of the birds are in the boxes.

I do try to keep the boxes clean and I dont want to eat poopy eggs or chicken poop. Why clean them every single day?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
It's bad because of the poopy eggs. A little dirt or poop from the hen's feet I'll deal with, but I don't want to eat eggs that have been sitting in poop.
Completely washing the egg removes the bloom. Easier to keep the boxes and thus the eggs clean then the alternative.

 

[HennyPennies2007]

digitS' :

"Okay, you thought you were going to be nice and cozy, now you are not even going to share the roost with your sisters. You can sleep by yourself on the ladder, backwards!"

Steve