Sleeping in Nest Boxes???

[CooCoo4Chickens]

I just got my chickens on sunday. The first night they slept on the floor of the coop and I let it go by because i thought it was because they just moved into a new home. Then they noticed the nest boxes. They are now sleeping in them. They keep some for sleeping and some for laying. I have a roost but they don't even got on it. I want to know if sleeping in nest boxes are bad for my chickens that they are not roosting or should I let them do it and has this happened to anyone else?

 

[ghillie]

Our chickens thought that is where they were supposed to roost. It took several nights of going out and putting them on the roosts for them to get the idea. They still from time to time try to sleep in the nest boxes. I don't let them roost in the boxes because I don't want soiled eggs and don't like cleaning the poo out of the boxes in the morning....

 

[Lesa]

It certainly is not bad for chickens. You might not enjoy it, because they will poop in the boxes, and eventually lay an egg in the poop.... There are a lot of posts about this and people have all kinds of ideas for preventing it. Personally, when I clean the coop in the morning I just remove the poop from the nesting boxes...rarely do they lay an egg, before I get out there. Your birds may just be working their way up to the roosting area. Do they have a way up there, besides flying? I have an old wooden extension ladder that I cut up into 4-5 foot pieces that mine kind of hop their way up to the roost with...All in all, nothing to panic about. Good luck with your new birds!

 

[Muscovies]

It is not bad for chickens I have nest boxes and roost and they sleep on both of them

 

[krazeepolack]

My egg manufacturers haven't started layin' as yet-(20 weeks & 1 day today)

but a couple of them prefer nest sleeping to going on roost @ night.

W/wood chips in the nests, it is SO EZ to just swoop out what droppings they leave. I do the golf ball routine, & found one on the coop floor this AM. Hm! I wonder if that's a hint?? "Git this imitation garbage outta here"

Today was the 1st sunlight they've had in a week-

They were ALL out sunning & preening. I do not do any artificial light for them. I guess I too, would prefer a straw bed to sleepin' on a hard 2 X 4. The roost has 4 layers of 2 X 4's, so they easily just hop up to go nightie night. My one roo has a straw nest @ ceiling height, (solitary, but allowed to free range) so he has a step ramp to his personal quarters.