pooing in the nesting box

[kimbobill]

How do I stop them roosting and messing in their nesting box? they have 2 and one they leave alone and they don't use their perches or their supposed roosting area. they are coming up to POL.

I have a dorset coop like this http://www.chickencoopsdirect.com/chicken-coop.htm
with the roosting are joined to the nesting area


thanks Bill

[kimbobill]

[Melbourne12]

I think I'd try two things:

First, raise the roosting bar by a few inches (assuming there's enough headroom).  The level of the nestbox isn't noticeably lower than the perch at the moment.

Second, especially on these light nights, I'd block the little windows, to give them a bit more darkness.  You can always unblock them in the winter.

[grannyjanny]

When we got our girls we were told to physically lift them off the nest box & place them on the perches. It was an impossibility to do that so now we have 6 chickens
sitting on top of each other in 2 nest boxes ::).

[kimbobill]

Thanks for the replies,

Melbourne12 I think your right, they are at the same hight.

Great story grannyjanny thank you! I think we'll end up the same with our three.

I'll try taking out the straw from the nesting box and put in some sawdust instead and see what happens

[Ragdoll Lady]

Hiya, the advice you have been given about raising the height of the roosting bars is a good one, this will seem the better option for the hens. I hang a towel over the window in my hen house at night (on the outside) and that has seemed to again make the roosting area more attractive to the hens. Please be careful about having straw in your hen house as it can contain bugs and even harbour red mite (an experirenced hen keeper told me that) sawdust or hemcore can be a better option plus its more absorbent. :)