Roosting in nest!

[PrestonSloan08]

Yes it is the silkies that are doing it!! After they go on roost should I just pick them up and move them to a different spot? And I can close them off because they are laying really early!! Like befor I wake up!!

 

[Kaceyx73]

I wont say much about Silkies in particular cuz I have never had them.

With my previous flock of RIRs, occasionally I would find one in the nest box. I did begin to notice a pattern, though. Chickens like to stay out as long as they can, and then roost right before it gets too dark for them to see. With the roost Olympics going, if a hen gets shoved off after it gets too dark to find her way back up, she will find something, anything, to sleep under. In the wild, it would be under some low growth or shrub type vegetation. In most coops, its usually the nest box. Its dark, and makes them feel more secure of they arent on the roost. I suspect most ground fowl, turkeys, guineas, and others, would exhibit the same behavior.

I noticed it with mine because when I saw them early in the night, I would go out with a flashlight to find them. As soon as the coop was lit up enough for them to see, they would emerge from the nest and jump back on the roost.

This may not be the reason in all instances, but I think its a good starting point for most birds. I think it will rule out most such behaviors and only leave a few odd balls to have to figure out.

Good Luck!!!

Ken