[alancane]

Thanks for this post. All three of my ladies are sleeping in one nest box and I need to encourage them the perch is better! I will try the block method. Unless someone has some other idea not given already?
I don't think it's a mite problem as I can't see any at all and the house is only 1 week old and the chooks are clean. Bad habits maybe?

[corynsboy]

Great posts.   Some really useful information here.

I have an eight foot long perch and four nesting boxes in my shed and my birds all sleep on the floor in the straw.  It's a lovely warm draft free purpose built shed but it has an open cage window at five feet and the perch is only 20 inches high but it is opposite the window.  Would this be a problem?  Strangely, the birds use the perch during the day from time to time.

 The nest boxes are under the window (no direct sunlight) and are a little higher than the perch, say two feet.  Is it OK that the birds all nest on the floor together?  

We've had our birds since they were eggs and they are all about 5 months old now and have always lived together.  We have a mix of Buff Orpington pure bred and Orpington Hybrids there are six boys that will be leaving us at the weekend and eleven girls that have just started laying.

Pics on my blog under "chickens" look for the  table on the lower right had side of the front page.  Yep, all hand built.  It's 24 feet long and 8 feet wide.

[chuckmad]

Hey Pewee Lane, whereabouts in Ireland are you? I'm in Ireland too.