Raise your hand (wing?) if you let 'em sleep in the nest box!

[gryeyes]

Oh, pooh. I have never taken a bird from a nest at night, ever. They sleep wherever (in the coop) they want. Until recently, the only chickens to sleep in a nest at night have been juveniles and broody hens. Even my banty hens graduated themselves to roosts, eventually.

The recent change has occurred because I and my flock have moved. The chickens went from several coops to one garage-sized coop, with two very wide ladder roosts with several rungs and a fancy, 10-"seat" nest box mounted on the wall. Woo hoo! Well, all the senior ranking and older birds claimed the three best and highest roost bars on both ladders. The banties and juveniles discovered those commercial "apartments" were perfect cubbies in which to sleep with their BFFs.

Where ate the eggs laid? In the three big, covered kitty litter nest boxes! In which nobody sleeps. Nope, I don't move anybody to the roost. Never have.

So, sometimes some of the eggs aren't spotless, but most are very clean.

 

[pgpoultry]

I never move anybody in the coop.

The adults (other than Brahma) all use the perches. Other chicks (other than Brahma) do so as well.

BUT, some of the big Brahmas use the nest boxes.....heavyweights who prefer not to expend their energy, and juveniles who are learning their lazy ways.

I don't have much problem as to where the eggs go as only 3 are laying as they prefer the hedge! (4 broody/with chicks, 1 too old, 22 too young, 3 moulting, 2 not laying for unknown reason and the rest male)

.

i guess, therefore that I am a hopeless example!

 

[Beekissed]

The only birds I allow to stay in the nests at night are broodies or outcasts....rare but they happen. Once had a RIR that just didn't like the company of other chickens and would follow us to the house each evening and attempt to roost on the chair by the front door. I'd carry her down to the coop each night and try to place her on the roosts...there were so many to choose from at all different levels. I'd go down later to see her attempting to roost on the slanted top of the nesting boxes and would keep sliding down and trying to keep her footing. Finally, I'd just walk her down to the coop and put her in a nest. She started to roost in the same nest each night. Poor thing just didn't know she was a chicken....

 

[JulieNKC]

My broodies sleep in the nests. They don't share, so no one else tries sleeping in the nests. Well. except my EE pullet. I feel bad for her because her leghorn buddy ditched her and sleeps with the turkey on the outside roost, so I let her stay. She's not laying quite yet and doesn't fit in with the older girls, but she's too big to fit in with the 13 weekers. When she's finally a big girl I'll convince her to make buddies with the big girls and sleep with them. My broodies are silkies, and I think permanent fluffy nestbox decorations. I'm hoping if they ever give up being broody, everyone else will already have it ingrained to use the roosts.

 

[Phenomenon]

My marans sleep in the next boxes and the browns perch. Having 6 hens means it's easy for me to have a daily cleaning routine where I can replace the litter and put fresh straw in the nest boxes. I'd hate to have several coups though, it must be very time consuming keeping the nests clean!

I get large sacks of fine saw dust for the litter (70p per bag), and the straw comes from the farm at the back of our garden - £2 for a giant bale! I guess it means I can afford to be overly fussy with cleanliness.

 

[goobhen]

I did not install my nest boxes until I found my first egg! I now have the nestboxes that have the slanty roof on it, and has the bars to put accross the boxes at night. It does help keep the nesting boxes cleaner by not letting them sleep in them. Occassionally one might be too dirty..... I had 6 chicks that would not go into the adult coop (heck they were bigger than the adults at 3 mos old) but everynight I had to pick them up and carry them to bed!! They finally learned to do it on their own, it only took me about a week. They will learn....... I truly think it is funny how much my CHICKENS have taught ME! (same with my cats & dogs)