4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[alexgirl73]

Q 1 - My girls will not use the roosting bar at night time and prefer to just lie on the sawdust. Is this normal? They will use it during the day, but not at night.

 

Q 2 - One of my chooks keeps breaking their egg (no idea who), don't know whether they are doing it deliberately or when moving around in the nest box. is there anything I can do to stop this?

 

Hope someone can help

[chickenanne]

Hello,

 

Q1) It's better that they perch becuase otherwise it makes it more likely eggs will get broken if they sleep in the nest box. Some people say it's better for their leg bones/joints to perch and others say this is an old wives tale.... Try lifting them onto the perches at dusk. They should get the hang of it quickly enough.

 

Q2) Collect the eggs as frequently as you can, and try to discourage them from sleeping in the nest boxes. Is there plenty of soft bedding to protect the eggs? Also, do tehy have plenty of calcium in teh diet - a lack of this makes the shells thinner and therefore more likely to break.

Are they eating the eggs? If so, then tradional answer is to fill an egg with mustard so the taste puts them off - you make a hole in top and bottom of egg, break the yolk, and blow the contents out, then replace with mustard, or chilli, or other similar non-chicken-freindly flavour.

[Egg Lou]

Three of mine took to sleeping in nestbox about 10 days ago.. I put pots in etc bu they all managed to get over and pile up in empty spot I then blocked on completely with plastic car litter tray .. 5 days of this and lifting them back to bars every night worked a treat and now they all roost in correct place and no need for tray..

[alexgirl73]

thanks . I will try lifting them onto the perch tonight. They have lots of bedding in their box, but keep pulling it out and they have lots of mixed grit, so the shells aren't soft. If no joy I will try the mustard trick

[Seagazer]

Mine have been sleeping in the nesting box since I got them and one has just gone broody which could be because they overheat huddled up together. I have put a small trug into the hole between nesting box and roosting bars now to persuade them to sleep in the right place. Just hope I remember to remove it tomorrow morning!

[Egluntyne]

You could block the nestbox with a plantpot at night to stop them sleping there.