[dan808]

Hey guys when I have come to put the hens away there all huddled in and around there nest boxes, will they learn to use the roost in there own time its rounded off about the same height as the nests 3ft. The hens a Pol and I have had them about ten days. I rescued two ex batts yesterday as well and they are finding the smallest places to sleep is this to change when they become a little more lively, is it for lack of a better phrase a home comfort?

[splash101]

It will take them a few weeks to settle in, although it has been known for some hens to continue to sleep in the nest box.

Everynight when i go to lock mine up, they are all in the nest boxes. As soon as i shut the door they come out of the nest boxes onto the perch. I can hear them doing it because they make so much a noise. I think they  do this because the nest boxes are out of view from the door and they are hiding from predators, as soon as i shut the door they are ok.

The ones i have at the moment didnt leave the coop for 4 days when i first got them and they were scared of everything.

[loretta cluck]

My 5 girls are almost 18 months old now, and still insist on sleeping in the nest boxes and on the coop floor....tried blocking the nest box off with a bit of old sacking, lifting them onto the perches after dark, and gave it up as a bad job, defeated.  I decided that as long as they were happy enough, I'd leave them to it, to cuddle up on the floor together - it just means that i have to poo pick the coop every morning, which is a 2 minute job, and i probably go through slightly more shavings/bedding than those that have birds that perch.

[Sassy]

Ex batts have never had the option to perch. Some hens need to be trained to perch whilst others do it instinctively. It can help if you remove them fron the nest box and place them on the perch every evening. Some get the hang of this quite quickly some take a couple+ weeks.

[ANHBUC]

Mine perched happily until we got an eglu cube and now they all try to squash in the nest area!  I sometimes take the door off the nest area and lean it across the entrance hole.  This stops them sleeping in the nest but they do manage to squeeze past to lay their eggs on a morning.    

[Sue33]

my girls are the same, they love to huddle together in the nesting box 

[dan808]

So Im starting to put the girls on there perch tonight they stayed for a while lets see in a week or to if they learn to go up on there own  :happy:

[ANHBUC]

If you put them on the perch when it is dark rather than dusk they are less likely to hop back down.  They can't see what is below them so tend to stay put.   

[SusieB]

I'm afraid I'm a sucker for letting them huddle together in the nest boxes, but it does mean more frequent poop picking. 

I have four nest boxes, so 2 for sleeping at night, 2 are open in the day for laying, so at least I don't get poopy eggs!

[Jo57]

I have 7 bantams in a wooden house with 2 nest boxes. I often find all 7 (including the 2 cockerals) squashed in one nest box for the night. Not too much trouble to poop scoop in morning ready for eggs later.

[andy46]

I have four chooks and since i have had them three perch and thelma has always slept in the nest box,no matter how many times i have put her on the perch.I did try to block her favourite box off once but she slept on the floor so i have given up now

[angelavdavis]

Mine also prefer to huddle up in the nesting box at night.  I have long given up trying to move them - they won't budge!

[Anndee]

My 3 Banties like to be in the nest box as well, so I leave them too it. i don't think they know how to perch very well anyway. when the jump up onto a branch they struggle to balance properly 

[ANHBUC]

Three of my banties roost in the eaves of their run which is around 6 ft in the air.  They leave the coop for the softie large fowl.   

[beulah59]

We took on a flock for someone who could no longer look after them - three ex-batts and seven Pekin bantams. The bantams all sleep together in the nest box of our Cube, with an ex-batt roosting on the ledge above them!



Not sure what we can do about it ...