They won't stop pooping in the nests

[BarrettG]

My birds keep roosting on the best box. I put a big piece of wood over the top of the boxes at night and now they just hang on the little lip on front of the nest box. I have a perch that is slightly higher then the boxes but a chosen few still roost on the boxes. Then I saw one go up there today and poop in it. Not good! I'm going to post some pics for suggestions please.

This is the best boxes and the perch I have

This is a pvc perch that allot of them roost on. Maybe it's not enough room and I should make another one?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They won't stop pooping in there till you prevent them sleeping there.

From the looks of it, your nests are too high. A roost slightly higher than the nests isn't significantly higher. That's what you're looking for.
Increase the difference in elevation and block off the nests in the evening so they can't sleep there till they get into the habit of roosting.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Q

 

[BarrettG]

Hens like to roost as high as possible. The hens pooping in the nest boxes may be the ones at the lower end of the pecking order. More roost may help. Blocking off the nest boxes during the afternoons with a feed bag stuffed with leaves or grass might be another thing to try. Nest boxes In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new. Feed bags are a nylon mesh bag. Frozen poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off in summer when left out in the sun to bake and dry. I have 65 trips around the sun it is the best method I have stumbled upon. Make sure the twine is removed from the open end of the bag it can get tangled around your birds.

My birds use the nest boxes for eggs during the day though? Wouldn't putting a bag inside there prevent them from laying eggs? I like That idea at night though. I live in S.Florida so I don't have any freeze problems but it has been windy lately and rainy so maybe that's why one was actually roosting in the nest at night like it was laying an egg. I'm going to make a higher roost.

 

[Hokum Coco]

My birds use the nest boxes for eggs during the day though? Wouldn't putting a bag inside there prevent them from laying eggs? I like That idea at night though. In a perfect world your hens should be done laying by noon. (Mine are.) I live in S.Florida so I don't have any freeze problems but it has been windy lately and rainy so maybe that's why one was actually roosting in the nest at night like it was laying an egg. I'm going to make a higher roost.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

We're not talking about blocking the nests during the day, it's just before bed time.

 

[BarrettG]

We're not talking about blocking the nests during the day, it's just before bed time.

Ok got it! I just got another piece of pvc and made another perch so hopefully they will use it. I will put a blanket I don't use or a tarp and cover the nests at night. Do you think that's good enough? I wonder if I should remove the perch in front of the nest?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm taking it you don't want to lower the nests.

The perch in front of the nest is appropriate. Just a piece of plywood across the nests will keep them out at dusk. You can remove the block once it gets dark and they're on the roost.

You're in FL. so PVC is probably OK. Normally you don't want something round or that transmits cold.

 

[Chicken Slaver]

They're not going to use that PVC to roost as it's too small of diameter and too slick to hold onto! Same with the small diameter wooden dowels. Not only are they too small of diameter, but you stained them which makes them slick.Put up some roost that are 2X4 with the 4" (3.5 side facing up and the birds will start to use the roost.

Also, don't make the roost so tall that the birds have to really exert a lot of effort to get up on them.

 

[BarrettG]

Awesome advice. They already use the other pvc so I figured they would enjoy another one but I'm sure they would appreciate the 2x4 allot more. I'm going to take down the pvc and try that