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

[emmah1984]

My chickens all seem to like roosting in the nesting box, is there any way of getting them to roost on the roosting bars in their cube?

 

They go in fine at night and seem to stay in the roosting area until i'm gone then by morning when i'm letting them out they are all piled up on top of one another in the nesting box!

 

As there are 6 of them it seems a bit squashed for them all in there at night so does anyone know how to discourage and stop this or should i just leave them to it?

Please help!!

 

Emma

6 x

[Space Chick]

I've heard of people putting plant pots or footballs in there at night and removing in the morning, so worth a try.

[Phosphorus]

Are they laying yet? For some reason mine will sleep in there if they are off lay but as soon as they are laying it becomes off limits unless they have an egg arriving - funny girls

[smithy36]

i put a couple of footballs in there for a few nights they soon gave up - go on, show them who's boss... what do you mean its them... oh yes its always them!

[Sky]

Since I had my first "broody experience" I have been keeping nesting boxes shut at night. Luckily I have an Ark which does have special bars which can be pulled accross to keep birds out of the nesting boxes - perhaps something Omlet should consider for their products! I found it invaluable in dealing with my broody hen. I just open them up during the laying period of the day and close them for the rest of the time.

[cheekychook]

My 4 ex batts squash in beside each other every night -I wondered if it was because it was more comfortable with the straw in the nesting box so I put in another container with straw on top of a part of the roosting bars so they could spread out in the cube and still have straw to lie on if they wished - but they STILL like to sleep together in the nesting box ! If they want to I am just letting them. They are all laying fine and we get 3 or 4 eggs daily so they seem happy enough. We just love them to bits (couldn't resist saying that!)

[Newmarcell]

My hens like to sleep in the nesting box, and I'm too soft to move them / stop them I can't see that it's a problem as long as you 'poo pick' the nesting box in the morning!

 

Newmarcell

[Mrs Frugal]

All 6 of mine used to cram into the nest in my Cube until I changed the wood shavings for some straw last week! They were absolutely mortified and didn't know what to make of it! None of them would put a foot near it and have slept on the roosting bars ever since. Strangely enough, they will lay their eggs in it though .