They aren’t roosting

[Nealdeanna]

My 8 hens aren’t using their roost and are ALL trying to sleep in one nesting box. I have 5 nesting boxes too. This is resulting in them laying eggs in the coop.
How do I get them to roost?how do I get them out of the boxes when they go in at night?

 

[CluckerFamily]

Try blocking off the nesting boxes before they go in to bed and then open them back up in the morning.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Have they ever used the roost? Is the nest box thing a new behavior?

 

[MedicDog]

I had this once and turned out there was red mite under the roosting bar, might be that?

 

[Nealdeanna]

Have they ever used the roost? Is the nest box thing a new behavior?

They are new for us

 

[Nealdeanna]

I had this once and turned out there was red mite under the roosting bar, might be that?

They are new chickens for us with a new coop

 

[CluckerFamily]

They need some time to be okay with everything. Chickens don’t like change.
You could try going into the coop at night and placing them on the roosts to help train them.

 

[aart]

They are new chickens for us with a new coop

How old are your birds, in weeks or months?
Please post some pics of the coop showing the nests and roosts.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They are new chickens for us with a new coop

Since they're new, do you know if they ever roosted before you got them? While it's a natural behavior for them to roost, if they never had the opportunity before, they don't know how to do it and will need to be shown.

And x2 on the birds' ages - if they're young, covering the nests until they're closer to lay is a simple way of stopping them from sleeping in there.

 

[JacksonChickies]

Adding my 2 cent question in too...I have 3 Americauna/Buff Orpington cross pullets (DOB 4/21/21 and 5/18/21) and they don't roost either. The Littles haven't had an opportunity as they were just put in the coop today but Chickie Nuggie I just noticed it sleeping perches on the front lip of the nesting box. I have a roost set up perpendicular from the nesting boxes and above the top wall of the boxes...but maybe it's too close to the coop wall??