Sleeping/pooping in nest boxes - yuck

[ChristieDB]

Two of our six girls have recently started sleeping in the nest boxes which means they are pooping in them. We have a small coop where the sleep. Purchased at TSC where there are three nesting boxes along the back. My husband built their roost inside because what came with it were two tiny wood rods that sat only about 2in off the ground.

The have been doing fine. This is new - - the past three weeks.

When we go out at night to check before bed no one is in it and the one or two times there have been we've shooed whoever it was and they went up to roost. Now I think they wait til after our nightly check!

Thought of blocking it at night, but we've had eggs laid late or early that we find first thing in the morning and don't want them to start laying in the coop under the roots..

Any tried and true ways to break them of this?

 

[Molpet]

roosts need to be higher than the nest box, they will roost in the highest spot they can.
unfortunately the prefab coops don't leave space for that

 

[cavemanrich]

One of the reasons is your coop being small. In the Ideal Universe where we all have large coops, things would be different.
One thing that will attract chickens to choose the roost, is its height. If the height is not that much different from the nesting area, the chickens see it as no big deal. Also they may choose the nesting for other reasons, like being pecked on.
One option to try is to cover the nesting boxes with a curtain made of cloth half way down from top. Chickens may not choose to go there except when desire to lay egg occurs.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[aart]

Depending on which TSC coop you have, there may not be room for 6 birds to roost.
Pics of your coop, inside and out, may help garner some suggestions to make it better.

This is one of the best pre-fab modifications I've ever seen, night work for yours:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134399/help-hens-roosting-in-nest-boxes/10#post_17749535

 

[snow5164]

I have found that if I go I the coop after dark and move the ones in the nesting boxes up to the roost they stay there because they can’t see to move back .

I’m wondering how bright it is in your coop at night? It should be dark or they’ll fool around ,

I have moved my two for a few weeks now, they were bullied and got into a bad habit ,

Good luck , it’s always interesting with animals around !!

 

[Col1948]

Sounds a bit like the coop I had, that had the 2 roosting bars a couple of inches apart and on the same level as the nest box, it was advertised to fit 3 birds but I thought it too small so bought a shed and converted it, sold the small coop.
I got 2 more hens and now they all roost high up and the nest boxes are ground level, and not under the roost lol.

 

[snow5164]

@Col1948

How is your flock meshing ??

 

[Col1948]

Hi snow, they are getting a lot better as the days progress, the first night of having them all together went not too bad, I think there was a squabble at first but later when I looked in they were all on the roost.
The 3 original birds still shoo the 2 new ones from time to time, then other times they seem to be friendly and go about pecking and scratching together, I think it is sorting its self out.

 

[Capoken]

Raising the roosting bars did not work for my birds. Blocking the nesting boxes at night worked. After a couple of months I found them roosting at bedtime and not in the boxes. Now I do not have to block the boxes anymore - they only go in there to lay eggs.

 

[aart]

Raising the roosting bars did not work for my birds. Blocking the nesting boxes at night worked. After a couple of months I found them roosting at bedtime and not in the boxes. Now I do not have to block the boxes anymore - they only go in there to lay eggs.

Yes, it can take some time and effort the change the habits...
....but we can outsmart them