prevent roosting on the edge of nesting boxes - 2 months old chicks

[CanadaEh]

Have added 20 two months old pullets to the main coop of 17 egg layers recently and started to get poopy eggs due to some chicks hanging out or sleeping on the edges of the nest boxes with their heads looking out and consequently poop going in. The nesting boxes front boards are about 6" deep 5/8" plywood. The roosts are about 8" higher than edges of the nests and all adults and most youngsters use those.

Short of closing the nests after egg laying is done how to prevent the soiling of the nests by youngsters? Is there some material to put on the edge of the nesting boxes to make it less comfortable for roosting? E.g. 1" strip of some thin (but not sharp) material?

 

[DobieLover]

How much roost space do you have for these 37 birds?
I've found that until the pullets are laying, and even sometimes well past their start, they hide in the nest boxes to avoid being pummeled by the older birds as they aren't quite ready to assert themselves in the flock.
I simply wait until full on dark, then, using indirect light just bright enough for me to see what I'm doing, I remove the errant youngsters and place them on the roost where ever there is an available spot. When it's full dark, they typically stay put and the neighbors tend to leave one another alone because they cannot see well enough to peck at them and drive them off.
Then I do head count and lock up.

 

[CanadaEh]

How much roost space do you have for these 37 birds?

not much - about 24' of adult roosts + about 3' of odd smaller ones. Getting 20 pullets out of 30 straight run chicks was not expected (a couple still could be roos). They don't take as much space as adults at 2 months though.

I've found that until the pullets are laying, and even sometimes well past their start, they hide in the nest boxes to avoid being pummeled by the older birds as they aren't quite ready to assert themselves in the flock.
I simply wait until full on dark, then, using indirect light just bright enough for me to see what I'm doing, I remove the errant youngsters and place them on the roost where ever there is an available spot. When it's full dark, they typically stay put and the neighbors tend to leave one another alone because they cannot see well enough to peck at them and drive them off.
Then I do head count and lock up.

I have lights on timer in the evenings and lock them up before that. Besides it would still give them enough time to poop in the nests in the morning and during the day. Just observed 2 hanging out on the edge of the nest box (with their tails inside) today while it was raining outside. Do you think attaching thin metal or plastic edge to the nest front board would discourage roosting but would still allow access to layers?

 

[NatJ]

Do you think attaching thin metal or plastic edge to the nest front board would discourage roosting but would still allow access to layers?

If it's uncomfortable for the chicks' feet, it would also be uncomfortable for the layers' feet. The chicks want to stay there longer, while the layers are heavier so more pressure on their feet, so I don't know which would be more affected.

I wonder if can you add another perch, a few inches further out from the nestboxes. Then they could sit on it, in front of the nestboxes, but far enough away that poop doesn't go in. They layers would just step on the new perch on their way in, but the chicks might stay sitting on it. (Maybe, not guaranteed.) By putting it next to the nestboxes, it doesn't take up much more space inside the coop, but it does give more places for birds to sit and still have the poop land on the floor.

Pictures of the coop setup might help too--when several people look at the same thing, they sometimes see different possible solutions.

 

[CanadaEh]

I wonder if can you add another perch, a few inches further out from the nestboxes. Then they could sit on it, in front of the nestboxes, but far enough away that poop doesn't go in. They layers would just step on the new perch on their way in, but the chicks might stay sitting on it. (Maybe, not guaranteed.) By putting it next to the nestboxes, it doesn't take up much more space inside the coop, but it does give more places for birds to sit and still have the poop land on the floor.

there are already perches in front of each nest box (for the layers to fly on those first, than step about 5" up on to the edge of the nest box). The chicks hang on them as as well.

 

[CanadaEh]

Pictures of the coop setup might help too--when several people look at the same thing, they sometimes see different possible solutions.

here is the picture

3 roosts R
3 nesting boxes NB
3 stepping perches in front of nesting boxes S - one (S) is hidden from the view by the Roost
2 chicks seen hanging out on the edge of the nesting box during day time (luckily with their tails out)

 

[Jabebee13]

Nice setup thread starter. Can't prevent soiling of the nest by youngsters. There is a neat chicken hammock for runner boards. For perching. Hope that helps. In the nesting boxes without adults.... Can you use hay or alfalfa or something like that.... Change it out weekly.

 

[NatJ]

here is the picture

3 roosts R
3 nesting boxes NB
3 stepping perches in front of nesting boxes S - one (S) is hidden from the view by the Roost
2 chicks seen hanging out on the edge of the nesting box during day time (luckily with their tails out)

The labels really helped--good idea.

I can't think of any other ideas for keeping the chicks from pooping in the nestboxes, unless you are able to either add more roosts (but I can't see where), or reduce number of chickens.

 

[CanadaEh]

Nice setup thread starter. Can't prevent soiling of the nest by youngsters. There is a neat chicken hammock for runner boards. For perching. Hope that helps. In the nesting boxes without adults.... Can you use hay or alfalfa or something like that.... Change it out weekly.

Already using free sourced hay in the nest boxes that I would only add to as it breaks down, to have any effect I would have to change it daily.

I am trying now to keep the nest "curtains" (feed bags stapled at the top) closed or almost closed at all times. I have noticed even with the "curtains" fully down the layers still manage to get inside and lay eggs. If I there still be new poop showing up in the nests or eggs on the coop floor (as a sign that some chickens could not get in), I will try to staple a strip of vinyl siding to the edge of the nest front board to make roosting on it uncomfortable. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Jabebee13]

How unfortunate daily job. Okay. I am lucky I changed mine weekly. To each his own. I guess a daily rotation is better. I had a brooder with pine shavings. They poop a lot I know.