Cube mk2 and WIR

[Chickypea]

We are new to Chickens and have just had our girls for 2 weeks. They always roost in the nest box and never on the bars, presumably as the nest box is more cosy with a nice bed of straw.

However, this means that the nest box gets dirty and I need to change the straw every other day.

Can anyone give me advice whether this is normal, and when they start laying, will they roost on the bars ? Should I block off the nest box for a while ?

[Egluntyne]

Many of them prefer to roost in the nest box.

 

If you would rather they didn't, you could block it off with an upturned plant pot, which should encourage them to use the bars.

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

[Steve.]

I've not had my chooks long (see sig for dates).

 

I'm still on the original set of nesting material despite being the proud owner of 20 eggs

 

I blocked the nest box off until they were ready to lay. There have been no poo's in the nesting box since!

 

Good luck in whatever you choose to do/ Chooks do learn very quickly.

[Hen Watch]

I have one who sleeps in the nestbox and to be honest I let her.

 

But I use Auboise in the nestbox and poops dried up and are easy to flick out onto the droppings tray with a trowel and it doesn't need changing.

[TheChookKeeper]

...you could block it off with an upturned plant pot...

 

I did this (probably on Egluntine's advice!) when mine decided to start sleeping in the nest box.

I wouldn't have minded, but they made it so pooey, which was making the eggs come out looking hideous, frequently squashed, and it was just a bit silly all around!

 

I shoved a plant pot in there, in the hole, when I collected the eggs in the early evening, and it stopped them going in overnight.

Even more brilliantly - they used to pop the flowerpot out in the morning to lay their eggs, and then walked out again - and the whole process started again!

 

I did that for about 1-2 weeks, and that broke the habit - they haven't gone in there since!

 

Hope that helps!

[beach chick]

to be honest, I've never worried about it... some sleep in there, some don't, and never found the eggs to be particularly dirty. yes, sometimes you can see the odd mark - but remember, supermarket eggs have always been washed before you buy them.

the odd bit of poo seems a small price to pay for natural eggs it seems to me.

[Purplemaniacs]

Having read previous posts, I block the nest box with my flower pot, known in our house as the Nest Protector I pop it in the nest when they have laid to deter Ivory who is thinking about being broody, AGAIN but yesterday I had mistakenly thought Latte had laid so put the flower pot in the nest and then realised that I couldn't see Latte in the run so looked in the eglu and there she was, sat on top of the flower pot trying to lay her egg I removed the pot and she laid her egg in the nest box.

 

Chrissie

[Old Speckled Hen]

Mine live in a wooden coop and have two nest boxes side by side. I shortened the perch and added an extra wooden tray as all four were squashing themselves into one nest box at night. Now they have started to lay, two perch and the other two sleep in one of the nest boxes, strangely leaving the one they lay in empty. If they all decide to perch I'm in trouble!!

Will have to order a replacement perch from Flytesofancy and remove one nest box.

[judith67]

I was having a very pooey nest box and assumed one was sleeping in there. I knew clementine roosted because i saw her do it from day 1. And the 2 who are laying, lay in the same nest box, presumably forming a queue when ready to lay

So a couple of nights ago before closing the pophole i peeked in hoping to spot the culprit - Clementine and Henrietta asleep on the roosting bar and Lucy was roosting but on the partition between nestbox 1 and 2 - with her bum overhanging nest box 2. So now I know how the poo is getting there. But i wont do anything about it as they never seem to lay in that box anyway. i am now lining them with newspaper and using wood shavings to make it easier to clean.

[RubyReckless]

I've one who forever roosts in the nestbox. She's also the broody one. I did try the flowerpot thing briefly but was hopeless - with the mad dash of school runs and playgroup volunteering, and hens who lay mid morning, i was either forgetting to replace it in time or forgetting to remove it when the girls wanted to lay. So now i just clear the mess from the nesting box.