Seems pointless now, nesting boxes

[RollinWithTheStones]

One girl sleeps in them, no one is laying in them now

Instead they've picked a spot inside the rabbit cage.

I'm thinking about taking the rabbit cage away and just making a small "buried" nest for the two rabbits I have left.

 

[claudicles]

Have you tried putting fake eggs in the nesting boxes? Or even leave their own eggs there for a day or two so they get the message. If you have a girl sleeping in it that is a pain because they poop so much when they sleep. They like to sleep high up so are your roosts well above the nesting boxes?

 

[Hawkeye95]

How old are they and what breed are they? If they are still really young, they will just huddle on the floor- mine do. A friend of mine had problems with her chickens sleeping in her nest boxes too. But she figured out that the boxes were higher --or near the same height as the roosts. Are your birds laying yet? You could cover up the nest boxes for a while (if they are young and not laying) with a board or piece of tarp?

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Quote:
Their roost is not above their boxes, I move them when I see them but they keep moving off the roost. I have tried golf balls, fake eggs and their eggs. They push them on to the floor

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Quote:
They are older and are laying. I have a cochin, ee, sex link,new Hampshire, and austrolorp.

I have considered covering the area with wire so the can't sit up there. Though that doesn't help with sleeping in the boxes or taking over my rabbit cage for their nests. On a good note my bantams roost where they should, they're my good girls

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
Their roost is not above their boxes, I move them when I see them but they keep moving off the roost. I have tried golf balls, fake eggs and their eggs. They push them on to the floor

Sounds like you've answered your question then. They will roost in the highest spot they can get to. If it's the nest boxes, it will be in there.

If you can move your roost higher, then you can solve it!

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Quote:
Their roost is not above their boxes, I move them when I see them but they keep moving off the roost. I have tried golf balls, fake eggs and their eggs. They push them on to the floor

Sounds like you've answered your question then. They will roost in the highest spot they can get to. If it's the nest boxes, it will be in there.

If you can move your roost higher, then you can solve it!

I thought you meant immdiatly above the boxes. Their roost is in across the coop at the very top, their nesting boxes are maybe a foot off the floor.

Their roosts are up here

IMAG0819 by StonesChickens, on Flickr

and their nesting boxes are down

IMAG1052 by StonesChickens, on Flickr

Guess I'll try putting them directly on the ground and see if that makes a difference.

 

[claudicles]

That looks like a good high roost. Only thing i can think of is maybe the nesting boxes aren't private enough. Especially if they are chosing the rubbit hutch. Can you try to enclose it in say a cardboard box for a while and see if that makes a difference?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
x2. Some birds prefer a darker, more private place to do their business. Those also look a bit too small perhaps. A cube, 16x16x16 works well. Great image here:

http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/03/30/backyard-chicken-coop-nesting-boxes/

 

[Hawkeye95]

silly hens! they have a nice perch up high! Looks like a great coop! Yeah, maybe build a more enclosed box for them?? Or like you said, try putting them on the floor for a while to discourage them. They look plenty old enough to roost up there. Do they have trouble getting up there? Maybe build them a ladder to get up there??? At least the ladder would give them more options, too! (for how high they want to be)

oh!! I noticed something! Your 2X4's are the small end up, and chickens really prefer a much broader board. Just flip the boards down so it's laying on the 4 inch side instead.