Sleeping in nest box?

[brooster]

My 11 week old chickens insist on roosting on the nest box litter board, and in the nest boxes. I put fake eggs in the boxes to dicourage them, but they insist on stayin there, even my roo. It makes me mad i give them roosts but they just poop all over the nesting materials and fake eggs.

I have 10 meat birds with 4 roos who are mean, and i was wondering if my birds are afriad of the mean birds and are trying to get away since the meat birds could possible peck them when they are roosting since the roost is only 1 foot off the ground, but since the nest box is higher they jut choose it because they are safe. Do you think when we butcher the meat birds, that they will use the roost again, or are they always going to use the nest box.

If they use the nest box i am going to have a lot of broken, and dirty eggs.

I saw my roo kicking eggs out of the box yesterday.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I would say they like being high up so you might have to raise your roost a little higher then the nesting boxes. Or add another roost placed up higher and see if they use it. good luck

 

[rufus]

Chickens like to roost as high as possible. They all seem to want to use the top roost. Also, maybe the roosts provided are not comfortable for them. The roost should be a round pole or stick about two and half to three inchs thick. Chickens that roost on square cut lumber develop foot problems. I have noticed in pictures of peoples hen houses posted here that some tend to use one by twos for roost. That is a mistake.

Rufus

 

[mommahento5]

I agree with a PP. I think your chickens are just trying to get to the highest spot they can to roost. Try adding another roost higher than your nest box, or try lowering your nest box a bit. Good luck!

 

[joebwe25]

Mine always sleep in the nest box in the winter.
in the summer we put roosts in there for them.