Roost above nest boxes

[New duck mommy 2021]

Can you install poop trays under the roosts? Or build tops over the nests? Sounds like your nests are open-top. Fix that and your problems will be resolved, I think. Poop trays are a wonderful thing, if they are actually TRAYS with lips all around and can hold, say, half an inch of sand, you can scoop out the poop every morning like you would a cat box.

I second this
I use stall dry instead of sand but cleaning takes me 2-3 mins with a cat litter scoop
My coop floor stays clean
This was when I was building them but the idea is there

 

[MountainWoman73]

My chickens also like to be on top of their nest boxes, although they have other roosts. They have a little shelf up there which I fill with straw bedding. I put a couple of loose boards down under the bedding, so I can pick them up and dump the bedding easily when it gets too poopy. It's not very different from the shelf in New duck mommy's picture, but mine is up on top of the nest boxes. Occasionally someone lays an egg up there.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

stall dry instead of sand

I use a mixture of construction sand and sweet PDZ, which I find in the horse supply section of Bomgaar's. PDZ helps keep the sand dry and keeps odor down. When I clean my poop trays daily my hen house does not smell and the fly population also stays down.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I use a mixture of construction sand and sweet PDZ, which I find in the horse supply section of Bomgaar's. PDZ helps keep the sand dry and keeps odor down. When I clean my poop trays daily my hen house does not smell and the fly population also stays down.

100%
Stall dry would be similar to the stuff you use

 

[gimmie birdies]

I put old dresser draws on top of my nest boxes. I dump them when full.

 

[rosemarythyme]

dimensions: 4 by 6. 3 nest boxes on the 4 foot wall and perpendicular to two high roosting bars that extend above two of the nesting boxes 2 to 2.5 feet above. i did put nesting boxes on a slant, as suggested by one member, but am now wondering how that will be useful when they actually start laying, since I doubt they will want to sit in a slanting nesting box. it seems installing a poop tray above nest boxes and below roost would be the best option, but i am unsure how to "install" one, unless I got my handy man over here.

You don't slant the box. You slant the top so they can't sit up there, if that's where they're sitting.

Poop tray is as simple as a shelf with a lip. Searching on here should yield tons of examples. However with only 3 birds, why not just run one roost parallel to the nest box and at least a good 12" away from it? You have an excessive amount of roost space and that would fix the issue provided they're not roosting on top of the boxes.

 

[ELICEC]

Hello,
New chicken owner here. Have 3 Buff Orpingtons (3 months old), who love to roost above the nesting boxes. Not yet laying. Poop piles up in the nesting boxes. There is another two roosting bars in the coop. Is it cruel to take out the roosting bar they love, so they choose another roost? Poop piles up in nesting boxes. We do daily "magic water", and I ferment their food, so I am less concerned for parasites. Just wondering how big of a problem this is in reality, and whether it warrants taking the bar out. They have ONLY ever used this one bar of the 3 for some reason. (maybe cuz its by the coop window?). any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I see your post is from 2022, so you probably fixed it, but for those who have this problem, there is a trick.
First, do not provide any roosting place above the nesting boxes: You are asking for poop in the nesting boxes. I place curtains or some other obstruction so they can't go in until they are old enough to lay eggs.[ Otherwise, they get into the bad habit of pooping in the boxes, and that's a mess!
Second, you may have noticed that chickens poop mostly at night, when they roost. with that in mind, build a "poop shelf" about 6" below the roosting bars. Problem solved.
As a bonus, you will be able to pick up a nice amount of pure poop to put in your garden and, even better, second bonus, you will be able to use the same litter for about 5-6 months. And I'm saying that with 30 chickens and a 16'X10' coop.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My roosts are above the nesting boxes. But the nests are completely covered on top with the poop trays, which are under the roosts, so the nests stay clean. The poop trays contain a mixture of construction sand and sweet PDZ, and I clean them daily. Voila! Clean nests!