Why is she sleeping in the nest box?

[black_cat]

My red sex link hen, Ruth, has been sleeping in the nest box in our coop for the past couple of nights.
She isn't broody, as she's out during the day and doesn't mind when I move her.
The nesting boxes are well below the roosts.
I don't think she's being bullied, as she's not the lowest in the pecking order and I haven't seen any bullying.

Coop interior: the other three hens have been sleeping on the farthest roost together and Ruth has been sleeping in the farthest nesting box. When I nudge her out of the box, she hops onto the roost with the others.
Any idea why she is doing this?
Ruth, the trouble chicken:

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is she laying eggs?

Maybe the roosting bars are not comfortable for her? Are the roosts a bit rounded, hard to tell in the photo.
She may be getting picked at a bit too - take time to observe behavior. If she's the lowest in order, the others may be keeping her from roosting or she's just timid.

 

[black_cat]

Is she laying eggs?

Maybe the roosting bars are not comfortable for her? Are the roosts a bit rounded, hard to tell in the photo.
She may be getting picked at a bit too - take time to observe behavior. If she's the lowest in order, the others may be keeping her from roosting or she's just timid.

I do not know- I have three RSLs and I've been getting 1-2 RSL eggs each day, along with my daily leghorn egg.
The edges are not sharp, but the roosts are just squares. She didn't have a problem with it in the several months that we've had our coop before this (that's an old pic) and because it's been windy they've been hanging out inside during the day, and I've seen her on the roosts then.
I think she's the second lowest, but I'll definitely take some time to try to watch more.

 

[CluckerFamily]

How old is Ruth? Sometimes older chickens just find it more comfortable to not jump up to the roosts.
Another thought, does she wait until last minute to go into the coop at night and she can’t quite see the roosts?

 

[Bodenhamer]

We have a hen who does this in the winter, usually only when it's below 28° or so. Once it warms up she's back in the roost.

 

[Carson213]

your roosting bars are super low. put them as high as you can. my lowest one is 4 ft high

 

[Carson213]

not sure if you could change it at this point but you can set your nesting boxes at 24-36” off the floor and then roosts all the way to the ceiling. most of my birds roost around 6-7’ off the floor

 

[Carson213]

if you don’t change the boxes, just drastically change the height of the roosts...they like to be as high as they can get. every time i add a new higher level...they crowd up to that newest height. i’ve actually been using old deer and elk antlers as roosts that i found in my barn along with an old wood ladder. they’ll roost on anything high up like any bird.

 

[Carson213]

nice coop btw!

 

[ellend]

My girls will not sleep anywhere near windows; fear of predators. They want to roost in a safe dark area. I had to cover my coop windows to get them to roost on the roost bars.