Smart Door Power Options

[GinaDC]

I bought my girls a cube because they were sitting on top of each other in the MrkII Eglu. Now, they are all sitting on top of each other (I have five ladies) in the nesting box in the Cube and doing all their "business" in there - consequently, the roosting bars are pristine, the poo trays are empty and the eggs they produce are totally and utterly covered in poo. Which is fine - but I'm now cleaning out the nesting box every day and replacing with shredded paper/hemcore and wondering if this is normal.

 

When they go to roost, should I put something up against the hole so they can't all sneak into the nesting box or should I just find something else to obsess about?

[Snowy]

It is up to you, but it is a pain when the eggs are poopy!

A couple of mine liked to sleep in the nest box so I put a cardboard box in there at night. Took a couple of weeks but they seem to have got the message. If I go out to check up on them at night and they are in the nest box, they jump up and shuffle out onto the roosting bars!

[The Dogmother]

How ever big a space you have for them to roost, they will always squeeze up together; it's just their nature!

 

Just pop an old washing up bowl or similar in the opening between the roosting area and the nest box - that'll keep them out. You can remove it in the morning.

[bronze]

All 7 of mine sleep in the nestbox. I decided while it was cold at night to let them.

[Janty]

Mine used to sleep in the nest box until they started laying. it stopped overnight once Ginger laid her first egg.

[Guest]

I block mine up as they are not laying over winter - problem solved.

[The Dogmother]

I block mine up as they are not laying over winter - problem solved.

 

Me too Dilly

 

Wotcha *waves*, come out of hibernation then?

[Guest]

Something like that

[Sheilaz]

I'm happy for some of mine to sleep in the nestbox if they choose. Using hemcore/Aubiose it's so easy to scoop & replace some each morning I don't mind. Easier than cleaning the bars!

[Egluntyne]

Using hemcore/Aubiose it's so easy to scoop & replace some each morning I don't mind. Easier than cleaning the bars!

 

That is true Sheila!

 

I usually find poo in the nest boxes. I just fling it onto the compost heap.

 

Some of them start the night in the nest box....but if I check them much later they are all on the roosting bars.

[Gallina]

My "difficult" Gingernut hen sleeps by herself in the Cube nesting box, and if she is moved she always go back there (not that I am inspecting all night, but you can see from the deposits in the morning).

 

My Cochin always sleeps in the proper roosting area but with her head poking through into the nesting box. This causes problems when I open the Cube door in the morning, as she is very large, dozy and slow, and I can hear an agitated Ginger trying to get past her and failing.

 

I just let them all get on with it. They don't have many choices in life, as they don't get out enough. The sleeping arrangements annoyed me at first, but now it would worry me to see the four of them lined up in the proper place. I am afraid if I forced them all to sleep together that feather-plucking might erupt again if I am not quick enough to let them out.

 

As long as they are happy, they can sleep where they like. I suspect they find the roosting area a bit large and bleak in the Cube. Obviously I need to get more hens.

[The Dogmother]

Obviously I need to get more hens.

 

But of course!

 

Big, fluffy Lily usually tries to sleep in the nest box (if I haven't got the flowerpot in there) and she has the two littlies snuggled up with their heads under her mountains of fluff - I don't have the heart to move them

[feemcg]

Iona sleeps on the edge of the cube nest-box with her bum hanging over it - result is a pile of poo in the middle . Most of the time they lay on either side of the poo (when I don't go out 1st thing to flip it from the nest into the poo tray with my trusty s"Ooops, word censored!"er!).

[Aunty e]

Lots of mine sleep in the nesting box. I can't face trying to stop them, so I try to clean the box out fairly frequently. Although as long as there's lots of straw in there, it's fine for a week without cleaning.

[Christian]

I have given up with Shirley! She can even move the plant pot that I used to leave in the nest box over night!

 

Now I use aubiose in the nest and just scoop out the 'bits' in the morning!

 

 

[Moonie]

Mine have always slept in the nesting area, I did try and put a bucket in there to stop them, but they managed to all squeeze in there. I don't mind, they always look cosy tucked up in the nesting area.