Roosting in nests

[rhino7]

I have three sets of hens. During the day I have three seperate groups of birds. 1st is 9 hens and a roo, who camp out under some shrubs, 2nd are 6, 18 week old ameracaunas with thier buddies the two Guineas camp out under a different shrub, 3rd are 9 New Hampshire Red hens and thier roo ( 21 weeks old ) stay in the hen house.
Two problems have arisen. The birds staying in the henhouse want to roost in the nests. Big problem! Do I physically move them out, or must I file eviction papers, which takes much longer. 2nd problem is the heat. The heat index today is 111 degrees, with next week expected to be around 115 all week. Is there a good way to get the group to move out of the henhouse as tho others have done. On occasion I will find one or two of the NHR out with the older hens. As to the heat I have a fan in the HH, a fan pulling air out of the HH, and a rooftop wind turbine to help pull the heat out throught the ceiling and then on out throught the roof. All suggestions accepted.

 

[kidcody]

I had the same problem! What I did is I waited till dark and moved them. It tool 4 nites and then after that everyone was in the proper place! Now I have a probelm, one of my roosters is sleeping in the nest box at nite. For some reason he likes the closed in space! Its strange. Of course he is making a mess and I have to clean it out every morning. The only thing I could do is move him to a pen with no nest box for a while to try to break the habit!!

 

[rhino7]

I go out about 8:00 pm and cover the nests so there is no one in the nests between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am when I open the run for free range. It is just during the heat of the day that I have this problem.

 

[JodyJo]

Can you shut the hen house up during the day? Do they have access to food and water outside?
I have 3 young ones inside the house during the day, they are caged all night inside, with the older ones
(I am attempting an integration soon) but during the day the older ones leave and I shut the run up so they
can't get back in. At night I gather up the small ones, re cage them and let the older ones back in.

 

[GA_in_GA]

Quote:

Recently, my 2 pullets started putting themselves to bed, but in their nesting boxes rather than their roosts!

I thought this was 'cute' until I found poop in the nests each morning this week. I had placed egg-shaped rocks in the nests, since one of the girls is looking very ready color-wise, though no squats yet. Until then, they had completely ignored the nest boxes and had been roosting. Note - I have a mini-coop and the 2 roosts are nearly level with the two nest boxes. (photo on my page)

The first few nights, I opened the nest boxes, and hustled them to the coop proper. But both girls keep going to the nests.

Help please!

 

[JodyJo]

Mine aren't laying yet (17-19 weeks along though), and were sleeping in all the boxes...I kept scooping out the poop and asking for help also...I was assured when they started laying this would stop...well I finally put a slanting roof line on the all the boxes, since then, nobody goes inside...

 

[GA_in_GA]

I have a sloping roofline over the nest boxes, but perhaps it is not steep enough.

Oh, and neither pullet is laying yet - both are BCM the oldest is abt 21 weeks, the younger is abt 17 weeks.

 

[JodyJo]

not sure if that is what did it, but as soon as I did that, they stopped...they will roost on the highest point, whether that is a perch or board, or whatever...how high are your nesting boxes, is there a point in your coop/run that is higher?

I also lowered my boxes...that also helped, now the roosts are higher