Strange sleeping arrangements...

[Amethyste]

Well, my birds are all 6 weeks old today, and spent most of their sleeping hours in the nesting box with Momma Esther.

She showed them how to jump on the roost a few weeks back and since then, only rarely have they been in the boxes... in fact i havent seen them sleeping there in over a week now.

Think it just takes time!

Poopy eggs are ick!! I have only had that happen a few times in the last few years...never did figure out why they wanted to sleep in the box, but after I closed it off for a few days they got the hint. I also went out in the dark and picked them up and sat them back on the roost as well.

Have not had any issues in a long time!

 

[happychickenlady]

Mine have been having this problem and every night I've had to go out and put them to bed on the perch. It's taken 2.5 months, but 5 of the 7 are roosting on their own at night now. Just two more to train. If you just keep showing them where "bed" is, they will eventually get it. Hopefully before the rainy season sets in.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with cmom. Chickens naturally tend to roost at the highest point they can. If the roost and the nesting boxes are the same height, they don't instinctively know where they are supposed to roost. If they are used to roosting in the nesting boxes, they have no reason to change unless something else changes.

A problem with A-frames is that it can be difficult to get the roost higher than the nesting boxes. If you can raise the roost a bit, they may learn on their own, but now that they have the habit, you probably have to do something to break them of it. Blocking off the nesting boxes is the easiest thing to do. The other option is to physically move them every night after they have gone to bed and it is too dark for them to find their way back to the nests.

Good luck!