Strange sleeping arrangements...

[dtimms]

I have 3 12-week old pullets in a little A-frame coop with areas at each end designed to be nest boxes when they're ready. The central portion has a roost that is fairly low to the ground, but a roost all the same. Since putting the girls in the coop, they sleep all piled on top of one another in one of the nest boxes. Which is very cute now, but not so much what I want as we get closer to laying time.

Should I block off the nest box areas to force them to learn to roost at night? Or will they figure it out when they are a little older? Is that roost just not wide or high enough (not sure how I would fix that at this point)?

This is one of the samples from the website, but my coop is laid out the same way. You can see the roost running down the middle of the central portion.

 

[TeriNick50]

I don't have an a-frame but do have 4 nesting boxes on one end of a coop which my four chickens (9 weeks old) use for sleeping. Often times, I find all four of them squished together in one box. They seem happy.

Like you, we're not sure how this arrangement will fair once they start laying, however; we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. It may not even be an issue.

In regard to roosting, the chickens will figure it out. Don't worry. They are hardwired.

 

[GaDawg]

IMO you should block off the nest till closer to laying age (and signs)
and let them learn where they need to roost.
If the nest box where they are staying now has poop in it in the mornings you will have to gather poopy eggs.
I had to do this, so it's better to start before they lay.

 

[dtimms]

Quote:
Ewww... hadn't even considered poo-laced eggs. I thought maybe they wouldn't lay in there if it's where they sleep.

Yes, must find way to block off nest boxes...

 

[staceyl]

Honestly mine did that when very young and they figured it out all on their own when they got big enough for the rooster bar, so I wouldn't worry about it just yet. i never find poop in the nesting box, but I do find eggs.

 

[Angelbear]

I have had my nest boxes blocked off for 2 weeks, as they were roosting in them and making quite a mess. They have now taken to using the roosts and I have removed the blockages. Hopefully eggs shortly, and now they won't be too covered in poop, which they would have been!

 

[ivycircle]

We have the same coop and my ladies sometimes camp out in the nest box. They all lay just fine. HTH!

 

[Jamsoundsgood]

About 1/4 of my hens are starting to show signs of getting ready to lay, so we just put the nest boxes in. Wouldn't you know it, last night I went in and there were four of my girls squished one on top of the other, spilling out, sleeping in one of the boxes.

Strangely enough they only sleep in one of them, and since there are 11 others, I figure they can lay eggs in those, and I'll just change the bedding frequently.

 

[dtimms]

Yes, I have 2 nest boxes and they seem to prefer one of them... Just to be on the safe side I think I will block them off! I just have to figure out how...

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. My birds were sleeping in the nest boxes. I put milk crates in the nest boxes in the evenings and took them out in the mornings for a week. It seems to have worked. I did it with my hens and with my pullets. Also I put a golf ball in each nest box. I also made sure the roosts are higher than the nest boxes. The birds tend to go to the highest spot to roost. My original roosts were at the same height as the nest boxes. I have raised it to just above the boxes. It's no fun when they get used to sleeping in the nest boxes and then you reach in and get poopy eggs. This happened to me in the beginning. I thought it was cute. I finally got tired of cleaning the poopy eggs and the poop out of the nest boxes...