Sleeping in nesting boxes

[crystalire]

My chickens snuggle in their nesting boxes at night. I've thrown away a lot of eggs due to having chicken droppings on them. I clean the nesting boxes every morning but sometimes one will lay before I can get out there.
I'd love to not have to clean the nesting boxes first thing every morning, especially in winter. Any suggestions?

 

[KPenley]

I'm sure there are a ton of different methods. But if I have hens that won't roost naturally, I like to put the birds up on the roost nightly until they do it on their own. It never takes more than a week it two for them to tired of getting woken up and moved.

 

[crystalire]

I do kick them out of their nesting boxes and onto the roost before I go to bed and they do hate to be bothered. Mine wait till I close them up and snuggle back in. Guess I will need to keep trying.

 

[iwiw60]

At this point it may be nearly impossible to break them of that bad habit. Had you closed off the nesting boxes back when they were pullets before laying age this could have been avoided...eek!

 

[crystalire]

Darn! Live and learn, I guess. Too late to block them off now if removed in the early morning?

 

[bobshere]

I had the same problem. I moved the roost another foot higher and that solved the problem. Maybe they dont like the roost? Just a guess but doesnt hurt to try at this point.

 

[iwiw60]

Darn! Live and learn, I guess. Too late to block them off now if removed in the early morning?

Well, if you have the time and are diligent, yes, you could block them off at night, then in the morning re-open them.

But as @bobshere said in another reply, moving your roosting bar(s) higher might do the trick also. BTW, how high are yours in relation to the nest box setup???

 

[bobshere]

Mine are at 36 inches now

 

[iwiw60]

Okay, 36" for the roost, how high are the nesting boxes...sorry, forgot to ask that before!

 

[bobshere]

The nesting boxes are at 24 inches.