Stupid question, help please!

[kimboolah]

I had a lightbulb moment in the car today--is a roost where they sleep and a nest where they lay eggs ? or do they sleep in a nest and hang out with their buddies on the roost?

I think my coop is backwards.....

 

[dixiechick]

roost to sleep--nest to lay eggs.

Unless, of course, if you are my chickens....roost is for no one and they all sleep and lay eggs in the nest!

 

[Marlinchaser]

Sleep on the roost(or use it as a stopping point before roosting in the rafters

Nest is for laying eggs only if they try to sleep in nest kick them out, its a bad habit, but needs to be broken or you will have DIRTY eggs.

They should hang out in the run.

 

[kimboolah]

ok, so I have two big nesting boxes full of straw a couple of golf balls, poop and an occasional egg. they are just getting the hang of things, bless their hearts. They all seem to "roost" up on a shelf--it's the highest point in the coop, which is fine with me, but should I just make the nesting boxes "off limits" at night? I will nail this cool ladder thing I got at a garage sale to the wall for them to roost on, but I bet they won't because they love that stupid shelf so much.

Will it freak them out if I move the nesting boxes to another wall? I was going to anyway, because right now they are on an outside wall and I want them on an insulated wall for the winter time.....

How do I make nests off limits? Big signs? Can they read? ha ha just kidding.

Help!

 

[detali]

Go in after you think they have settled for the night and if any bird is not on their proper roost pick it up and move it to where you want it to roost.

I have done that for a while now and now the chickens automatically go to their assigned places.

 

[kimboolah]

Where should a little bitty banty sleep? I have two babies--one banty and one gorgeous splash blue laced wyandotte who are much younger than the others. Can they just hang out on the floor? (deep litter).

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Bless their hearts, I reckon you have to teach them.

 

[kimboolah]

ok, friends, i just stole out in the dark of night with a teensy flashlight and the most unfashionable outfit ever! Lo and behold, there were two chickens perched on the edges of the nest boxes. One is my "for sure layer" (her name is Lorraine) and the other one is one of my identical triplets. I moved them both, gently, over to the roost/ladder under much protest, but they did stay there. I also put my banty up there and then freaked out because I could find my blue splash, but alas, she has joined the shelf club. All's well. then I flipped out the light and stood there, listening to them chat amongst themselves, heard some flapping and moving around and turned on my tiny light. Just jockeying for space, but they were where I put them. Don't they move in the dark? I felt like I had busted up a slumber party and they were just waitng for me to leave so they could resume the party..........

 

[kimboolah]

And this morning, i went out after daylight (they could see me coming thru the window--much conversation betwixted them all......) and it appears that no one used the nest boxes, however there were some giant nests in the litter on the floor. I asked my hubby to re-vamp the coop and I think he was half listening, so it will be a surprise for everyone when I get home from work tonight.

But what is with the nesting on the floor? I know it wasn't my banty--the hole was way too big.

 

[kcfuerst]

If you will make sure the nets are a little bit lower than your roosting area, and block off the nests at night for a period of time (say a few days), they should make the transition. The birds like to get as high as possible at night.

I have my nests adjacent to the roosting area, about 8" lower and I have never had anybody sleep in a nest, never poo'd in the nest and always have spotlessly clean eggs.