When to remove nesting box blocks.

[Capoken]

Hi! First time posting - long time lurker. I have 4 gorgeous 17 week old RIR. They look like full size birds now - big red combs, and around the eyes, etc. So I expect them to start laying before long.

My issue is this - when I first moved the girls into their outdoor coup, they all slept in a pile in the nesting boxes. I let that bad habit go on too long. So a few weeks ago I blocked off the nesting boxes.

When I close them up in the evening, they are still in a pile in the corner. By the time I let them out in the morning, they are all roosting on the poles. So I am unsure if I can remove the nesting box block yet or if I should wait.

Any advice is welcome - I am a chicken newb but they have been lots of fun for the whole family, even though they have not made us breakfast yet...

 

[redranger209]

Hi! First time posting - long time lurker. I have 4 gorgeous 17 week old RIR. They look like full size birds now - big red combs, and around the eyes, etc. So I expect them to stay laying before long.

My issue is this - when I first moved the girls into their outdoor coup, they all slept in a pile in the nesting boxes. I let that bad habit go on too long. So a few weeks ago I blocked off the nesting boxes.

When I close them up in the evening, they are still in a pile in the corner. By the time I let them out in the morning, they are all roosting on the poles. So I am unsure if I can remove the nesting box block yet or if I should wait.

Any advice is welcome - I am a chicken newb but they have been lots of fun for the whole family, even though they have not made us breakfast yet...

I say open em now.

 

[snow5164]

Open them up and add fake eggs ... this shows them what should go on in there.

Don’t worry I have some that still sleep in there every now and the poop left behind is the evidence . They have their own minds

 

[moniquem]

I removed my nest box barrier a few weeks ago when I started noticing redder combs and lots of squatting when petting. Wouldn't you know my EE, who is now laying, preferred a spot on my back porch to lay eggs, ignoring the nest box completely! So i made her a little nesting box out of an old kitty litter container.....

 

[Whitepinefarm]

Hi! First time posting - long time lurker. I have 4 gorgeous 17 week old RIR. They look like full size birds now - big red combs, and around the eyes, etc. So I expect them to start laying before long.

My issue is this - when I first moved the girls into their outdoor coup, they all slept in a pile in the nesting boxes. I let that bad habit go on too long. So a few weeks ago I blocked off the nesting boxes.

When I close them up in the evening, they are still in a pile in the corner. By the time I let them out in the morning, they are all roosting on the poles. So I am unsure if I can remove the nesting box block yet or if I should wait.

Any advice is welcome - I am a chicken newb but they have been lots of fun for the whole family, even though they have not made us breakfast yet...

I didn't realize that using the nesting boxes at night to sleep was a no-no. I have 3 RIR chicks that are 8 weeks old. They snuggle up together in one nesting box every night. I have allowed this - thinking they looked so cute and comfy. Should I block off the nesting boxes now or will they eventually figure it out?

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC @Capoken !

I don't let bird sleep in nests, I just don't want to clean the nests, period.

If you have adequate and easily accessible roost space, there's no reason to allow nest sleeping. IMO, it's just a bad habit that you may well regret down the road.

Hatching every year has prompted me to rig a hinged permanent nest cover that's easy to use and is always there if I need it(it's handy if you're trying to break a broody hen too). I close cover an hour before roost time and open it back up after dark when I lock up and do the head count.

 

[aart]

When I close them up in the evening, they are still in a pile in the corner. By the time I let them out in the morning, they are all roosting on the poles. So I am unsure if I can remove the nesting box block yet or if I should wait.

I would put them on the roosts after dark until they get the habit.
Dimensions and pics of your coop and roosts might help us help you figure out why they are not sleeping on the roosts.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I didn't realize that using the nesting boxes at night to sleep was a no-no.

Yeah, poopy eggs are nasty. If you have conventional individual nests like me. I have a easy way to block em from adults. . Vinegar jugs fit snugly in my homemade nests. I wedge them in tightly.
I have a hen that was sleeping and pooping in the nest and came up with this.
I let them out to free range an hour before sunset daily weather permitting and I put them in the nest at that time.
I open up the coop before sunrise daily so I usually leave them overnight. . GC

 

[DobieLover]

I had the same thing happen when I moved my 5.5 week old chicks into the coop. I allowed them to sleep in the nest boxes until 8 weeks old then they got the boot.

I screwed a board across the entrance to the boxes. My birds will be 15 weeks old Monday. I am planning to remove the board next week and install coop curtains and stick some golf balls in the boxes. That should get the point across as to their purpose in the coop. As long as your birds are regularly roosting each night, you shouldn't find anyone sleeping in the boxes.

 

[Whitepinefarm]

Thanks for all your feedback. They are getting booted tonight. I think I allowed it because I only have a prefab coop with only 5 sq feet of coop space, not including the nest boxes, for 3 hens.We are planning on expanding this but it may not be for a few months. They have a sand covered 8x12 run which seems to work out well for them but I worry about the smallness of the actual coop.