Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[redcharlie43]

I have 2 new skylines that I brought home 2 weeks ago. So far introductions are going OK. I kept them apart for the first week and am slowly introducing them together. I have put a high perch in the WIR so the new girls can get away from the other two but they try and sleep there every night. I have put a classic in the WIR and the cube is also attached. The two "old" girls sleep in the cube. I was putting the new girls into the classic at night and shutting them in and doing the same with the cube and letting them all out at the same time. On one occasion where it was dark before I got home the new girls had sneaked into the cube but other than that night I can't get them off the high perch to go into either the clasic or the cube. I am going out every night now and putting them into the cube with the others and shutting the door. Am I doing the right thing or should I just leave them to roost overnight on the branch?

[jackian]

I am not sure if my advice is good but it worked for me .

I have introduced twice now and I had a small plastic dog kennel for my new girls as a temp arrangement .

After 2 or 3 weeks I took the dog kennel away . They both went and huddled where the dog kennel used to be .For 2 nights i put them in the larger one and since then have gone with the old girls .When they realised they had no where else to go they gladly went into the bigger coup .

[Chickabee]

I had one who really wanted to roost outside. For what seemed like ages I had to get her from her perch and put her in the roosting area. She got the hang of it in the end

[MillyJude]

Our two skylines wanted to roost outside in the trees for the first two weeks aswell.

 

I kept removing them (involved a stick and a poke up the bum cos they were so high ), but then they started putting themselves to bed in the coops,

 

I think they get heavier as they come into lay anyway so that should put them off a bit.

[redcharlie43]

The girls have been FR for the last few days whilst I have been about and have put themselves to bed each night. Unfortunately not in the cube but on the high branch in the WIR. As I have left the door on the cube run I waited until Pecky Becky and Evil Edna had gone to bed and then put the skylines into the cube run and shut them in. They then took themselves off to be in the cube. Hopefully I won't have to do this too long until they get the hang of things. I then opened the cube door so they can let themselves into the WIR in the morning. I don't want to take the high perch down as they use it to escape the other two when they are being awful. I have taken the classic out as they refused to go in it unless I shoe horned them into it and it was just taking up space. I guess I should be thankful that intros have been uneventful so far and they now FR within a few feet of each other after only 2 weeks and the getting them into the cube at night is the only problem.