sleeping in the nesting boxes

[featherenvy]

My chickens, which aren't laying yet, are sleeping in the nesting boxes and not on the roosting bars. Do I need to be concerned or will they figure it out that it's for laying eggs?

 

[swmalone]

I have one that just recently started laying, the egg wasn't in the nest box and they still seem to be sleeping in the nest box. I even tried to seal off the box for a while to break them of the habit. If I was you I would seal the nest box off until you think you will need it. Mine got into the habit of sleeping there and now it is really hard to break.

 

[VelvettFog]

Seal off the boxes right away. You don't want to get your girls in the habit of sleeping in the boxes. Also make sure your roots are higher than the boxes.

 

[sabianshepherds]

Yeah, my nest boxes are a retrofit, so they weren't there when I put the first batch in, and they started roosting at 6 wks. The three girls I added two days ago when straight to the nest boxes, so I covered them with plastic poultry netting.

 

[Kaitie09]

I have one that always sleep in the nesting box and she is almost 2. Luckily it is one that never gets used. I would try to stop it, you can go out there at night and take her out of it and put her on the roost. She will eventually get the hang of it.

I have always wondered if it is the pecking order and the other girls won't allow them on the roost. My one that sleeps in the nesting box is also the one that gets picked on and bossed around the most too. It sounds like since they are new, the older ones might not be letting them on the roosts, and the nesting boxes are the next highest place they can go.

 

[chickenbythesea]

I just staples cardboard across the front of the boxes so they don't get used to sleeping in there... don't know if it will be enough, guess I'll find out when I take the cardboard off... Ya don't want them learning to poop in there