Should I take the nesting boxes out? *update*

[FarmingCityGirl]

My chicks are about 16 weeks old. We put in the nesting boxes thinking as soon as they're laying, they'll start laying in there. Well they're not laying yet...but someone is pooping in one of the boxes. I know it's common...but I never thought it would happen to me lol. So should we take out the boxes till we find an egg? I'm afraid they'll lay it where I won't see it. They hang out under the coop, and it's not even a foot high, and in tall weeds...so what if they start laying and I don't know so I don't have their boxes put in yet?

*I spied on them last night and 1 or 2 hens were sleeping on the floor; not in their boxes. I had cleaned out their boxes and made sure each one had a golf ball...but why do you think they weren't sleeping on the roost? There are 2 in there, and there was plenty of room left for them...but they are the same height. Do you think the bullies made them stay down? Should we put up a roost that is lower than the others?

 

[nbenevento]

There are a couple things to consider. If they are pooping in the boxes, they are probably sleeping in them. You can remove them or you fill a couple gallon jugs or something like that and put them in the boxes until they are ready to lay. Take them out when you pullets show the signs of being ready to lay. Don't just base it on their age. If their face and comb have turned bright red and they start to squat when you walk near them, they are about ready. At that point, open the boxes back up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are the roosts higher than the nests? From reading your post, I think they are but I’ll ask a silly question.

I personally like having the nests open when they start to lay, partly as you said, so they start to lay in there. If they get in the habit of laying somewhere else, it can be hard to break them. I think it also helps to identify problems like this so you have time to fix them before you get poopy eggs or eggs get scratched out if the lip is not high enough.

Sometimes they sleep in the nest a few days while they are transitioning to the roosts. Usually they move on to the roosts after a few days but not always.

There are a few things you can try. One is to go out there every night and put her on the roost after it is really dark and she can’t see to go back to the nest. That might work. Might not.

You can do as above but block off the nests late in the day and make an effort to open them back up early the next morning. It’s inconvenient for you for a few days but it might fix your problem to retrain her. Once she gets in the habit of sleeping on the roosts you can quit doing this.

How much roost space to you have? Something I’ve seen is that some chickens can really be brutal to others when they are settling down to sleep at night. This might be a cause for the young chicken to never complete the transition to the roost. I’ve even seen broody raised chicks used to sleeping on the roosts when she protects them abandon the roosts because of a brute after the broody weans them and quits protecting them.

I’ve seen this so often I put in a separate roost, over my nests but lower than the main roosts and a bit away from them, so the chicks have a safe place to go to that is not my nests.

Good luck! I think it is good you have identified the problem before you get poopy eggs but now you have to fix the problem. It may take a little effort but you should be able to manage that.

 

[FarmingCityGirl]

There are a couple things to consider. If they are pooping in the boxes, they are probably sleeping in them. You can remove them or you fill a couple gallon jugs or something like that and put them in the boxes until they are ready to lay. Take them out when you pullets show the signs of being ready to lay. Don't just base it on their age. If their face and comb have turned bright red and they start to squat when you walk near them, they are about ready. At that point, open the boxes back up.

They had all been sleeping on the roosts just fine when we put the boxes in. It looks like it's only small pile of poop, in one box (out of 6)...so I'm thinking it's one hen (out of 12) that got kicked off the roost. So I think I'm going to ask hubby to put up another roost and take out the boxes for a short time...they weren't secured onto the wall yet anyway. Do you think this will solve the problem before they start laying?

 

[FarmingCityGirl]

Are the roosts higher than the nests? From reading your post, I think they are but I’ll ask a silly question.

I personally like having the nests open when they start to lay, partly as you said, so they start to lay in there. If they get in the habit of laying somewhere else, it can be hard to break them. I think it also helps to identify problems like this so you have time to fix them before you get poopy eggs or eggs get scratched out if the lip is not high enough.

Sometimes they sleep in the nest a few days while they are transitioning to the roosts. Usually they move on to the roosts after a few days but not always.

There are a few things you can try. One is to go out there every night and put her on the roost after it is really dark and she can’t see to go back to the nest. That might work. Might not.

You can do as above but block off the nests late in the day and make an effort to open them back up early the next morning. It’s inconvenient for you for a few days but it might fix your problem to retrain her. Once she gets in the habit of sleeping on the roosts you can quit doing this.

How much roost space to you have? Something I’ve seen is that some chickens can really be brutal to others when they are settling down to sleep at night. This might be a cause for the young chicken to never complete the transition to the roost. I’ve even seen broody raised chicks used to sleeping on the roosts when she protects them abandon the roosts because of a brute after the broody weans them and quits protecting them.

I’ve seen this so often I put in a separate roost, over my nests but lower than the main roosts and a bit away from them, so the chicks have a safe place to go to that is not my nests.

Good luck! I think it is good you have identified the problem before you get poopy eggs but now you have to fix the problem. It may take a little effort but you should be able to manage that.

The roosts are higher than the boxes, and they were all sleeping on there before we put in the boxes. But now they're a little bigger and we meant to put in another roost by now...I need to bug hubby to do that. Last time I tried I made more work for him instead of actually helping lol. And I think it's just one hen pooping in one box...do you think if we just put up another roost and take out the boxes for a few days that we'll solve this problem before they start laying?

Also, since they all like to hang out under the coop, do you think they'll start laying down there instead of their boxes? I do have golf balls in the boxes just in case they feel the urge lol.

 

[JanetS]

I would start with blocking off the nesting boxes only at night. Adding a second roost is also a good idea. My chickens started laying their first eggs around 16 weeks so I don't know that you should remove the boxes.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I stuff a feed bag with grass clipping like a pillow.
Then I jammed them in the nest boxes.
Just pop them out once they start to lay.
I also fold my feed bags and line the nest boxes with them.
I have an abundant supply and they rinse off easy peasy!

 

[speedy2020]

I would remove a nest box for a week to discourage the hen sleep on nest box. And put a low card board nest box about 3" tall with hay and golf ball so they are getting use to. This help the hens an idea where to lay. When they start laying everywhere... it hard to make them lay where you want. It is good idea to keep the card board nest box in the coop for a week when you put the wood nest box back. This swap method help transition to prevent the hen laying other unwanted locations.