Sleeping In Nesting Boxes?

[MaineChickenGuy]

My 8 chickens (10 weeks old) refuse to sleep on their perches in the coop. Instead they are piling into one of the three nesting boxes at night. We tried to break them of the habit by putting soccer balls in the nesting boxes. That didn’t stop them though (see pic below)! Why won’t they sleep on the perches? There’s plenty of space for the 8 of them.

 

[TopazMaster91]

Oh wow, now that's a funny photo
Have you tried completely blocking off the nest boxes at night?
You could use wood panels leaned against the boxes or something.
If they can't go in at all, they may finally use the roost;
after a week of blocking the boxes and them roosting, it should stick.
Sometimes when chicks don't have a momma to "teach" them,
it takes a little longer for certain instincts and habits to catch.
You could also try lifting them out of the boxes and onto the roost at night.

 

[IamRainey]

Does it matter? Maybe they're getting a cold shoulder from the welcoming committee. Maybe it's uncomfortable for them to be so high when they're so little. But, in any case, if they're safe and if they're gonna move on by the morning when a hen needs the nesting box to lay, what harm are they doing?

You might need to add a couple handfuls of shavings or bedding to cover up whatever poo they do overnight but how tough is that?

Take my word for it, when they're ready, they'll muscle their way up there.

 

[TopazMaster91]

Does it matter? Maybe they're getting a cold shoulder from the welcoming committee. Maybe it's uncomfortable for them to be so high when they're so little. But, in any case, if they're safe and if they're gonna move on by the morning when a hen needs the nesting box to lay, what harm are they doing?

You might need to add a couple handfuls of shavings or bedding to cover up whatever poo they do overnight but how tough is that?

Take my word for it, when they're ready, they'll muscle their way up there.

The only problem I see with it is if the habit persists into maturity,
they would end up cleaning a lot of poop off the eggs
My first three girls used to sleep in their boxes,
and it wasn't fun having to constantly clean them + find poopy eggs

 

[rosemarythyme]

Are these the only chickens or do you have older ones in there as well?

Going with assumption that there's no older chickens in there:
- Block off the nest boxes with something solid, like plywood or even a sheet of cardboard taped in place
- You will need to teach them to roost, if you want, as they don't have adults to show them how. Pick them up when it's dark and manually place them on roosts.

If there are older chickens in there:
- Block off the nest boxes with something solid, like plywood, then once it's completely dark, go back and remove it so hens can use the nests in the morning
- Are the hens harassing the young ones and not allowing them to roost? How much roost do you have (feet or inches) vs number of birds?

 

[MaineChickenGuy]

Oh wow, now that's a funny photo
Have you tried completely blocking off the nest boxes at night?
You could use wood panels leaned against the boxes or something.
If they can't go in at all, they may finally use the roost;
after a week of blocking the boxes and them roosting, it should stick.
Sometimes when chicks don't have a momma to "teach" them,
it takes a little longer for certain instincts and habits to catch.
You could also try lifting them out of the boxes and onto the roost at night.

This was our first attempt. Thanks for the tips!

 

[MaineChickenGuy]

Are these the only chickens or do you have older ones in there as well?

Going with assumption that there's no older chickens in there:
- Block off the nest boxes with something solid, like plywood or even a sheet of cardboard taped in place
- You will need to teach them to roost, if you want, as they don't have adults to show them how. Pick them up when it's dark and manually place them on roosts.

If there are older chickens in there:
- Block off the nest boxes with something solid, like plywood, then once it's completely dark, go back and remove it so hens can use the nests in the morning
- Are the hens harassing the young ones and not allowing them to roost? How much roost do you have (feet or inches) vs number of birds?

No older hens so they’re not competing for space. Love the cardboard idea. TY!

 

[Flockincrazy]

My 8 chickens (10 weeks old) refuse to sleep on their perches in the coop. Instead they are piling into one of the three nesting boxes at night. We tried to break them of the habit by putting soccer balls in the nesting boxes. That didn’t stop them though (see pic below)! Why won’t they sleep on the perches? There’s plenty of space for the 8 of them.

Where are the perches

 

[MaineChickenGuy]

It is only a 4x6 coop, so the perches are only about 2-3 feet away from where they are sleeping.

 

[Flockincrazy]

It is only a 4x6 coop, so the perches are only about 2-3 feet away from where they are sleeping.

Are they higher or lower than the nest boxes