still sleeping in nest box

[DickMidnight]

i rearranged my roost bars, and picked up about 3 feet of roost space for my 11 birds.

i still have one hen who insists on sleeping in the nest box.

i think she’s near or at the bottom of the pecking order, which i’m sure contributes to her sleeping there, even though i never see her getting pecked or bullied when they’re all out in the run together.

is there any real downside to her sleeping there? i haven’t noticed a lot of poop in the nest box.

short of blocking the boxes every night and uncovering them in the morning, can i break her of this habit?

 

[StinkyAcres]

Any injuries etc. keeping her from flying up to the roosts?

 

[DickMidnight]

Any injuries etc. keeping her from flying up to the roosts?

nope, she’s healthy and laying eggs.

 

[StinkyAcres]

If I were you I'd try picking her up and placing her on the roost every night to see if that will eventually break the habit.

 

[WIchickMama]

I know pictures can be deceiving, but she looks to be a bigger bird and the roosting area a bit narrower. Is it possible she has trouble getting down (or up?) and the nesting box is just easier?

edited to add more:
has she always been a nest box sleeper?

 

[DickMidnight]

I know pictures can be deceiving, but she looks to be a bigger bird and the roosting area a bit narrower. Is it possible she has trouble getting down (or up?) and the nesting box is just easier?

edited to add more:
has she always been a nest box sleeper?

could be what you’re suggesting, but i have 2-3 bigger than her that get up and down fine.

she wasn’t always, it’s a relatively new thing. and she started when i had a ladder type roost setup that was even easier to get up onto

 

[Iluveggers]

If I were you I'd try picking her up and placing her on the roost every night to see if that will eventually break the habit.

This would be my suggestion as well.

I know pictures can be deceiving, but she looks to be a bigger bird and the roosting area a bit narrower. Is it possible she has trouble getting down (or up?) and the nesting box is just easier?

edited to add more:
has she always been a nest box sleeper?

I found my birds like a wide roost. Instead of buying a 2x4, I used two 2x2s attached together in a few spots to make a nice wide place to rest their feet & bodies. Something wider might help too!

 

[AnnPann]

This would be my suggestion as well.


I found my birds like a wide roost. Instead of buying a 2x4, I used two 2x2s attached together in a few spots to make a nice wide place to rest their feet & bodies. Something wider might help too!

I have 2 older/larger hens that were nest box sleepers and from watching them try and settle down at night on the camera, it looked like they weren't happy on the roost. I swapped out a 2x4 for a 2x6 and they settle down much faster now and just look more comfortable. I did have to block the nesting boxes in the evening (for more reasons than these 2). it's a real pain, even this time of year, because I have one hen still laying almost every day.

 

[DickMidnight]

I have 2 older/larger hens that were nest box sleepers and from watching them try and settle down at night on the camera, it looked like they weren't happy on the roost. I swapped out a 2x4 for a 2x6 and they settle down much faster now and just look more comfortable. I did have to block the nesting boxes in the evening (for more reasons than these 2). it's a real pain, even this time of year, because I have one hen still laying almost every day.

i use 2x3’s. it’s what they’ve always had and she didn’t have any issues for the first year.

i wonder if switching the long roost bar to a 2x4 would make a difference.

 

[WIchickMama]

I found my birds like a wide roost. Instead of buying a 2x4, I used two 2x2s attached together in a few spots to make a nice wide place to rest their feet & bodies. Something wider might help too!

Mine do too. I have 2x4 and 2x6 in my coop, some of the smaller hens (leghorn and EE) roost on the 2x4 but the Brahmas definitely prefer the 2x6s. Might be something to try.