[sarahw]

Hello everyone, im new to the forum - have just got my first 3 chickens today  its all been very exciting!

they have all just gone into the henhouse so i went to shut the door and noticed there are two in the nesting box and one on the floor underneath the perch..... is this normal? i thought they were supposed to sleep on the perch.... 1st night nerves?

on the plus side though - we have already had our fisrt egg 

thank you 

[Aunt Sally]

Hmmm... yes,  I prefere a comfy nest to a stick too 

Try lifting them on to the perches after dark.

[cheriton]

congratulations on your first egg - got my first yesterday lol.

My girls all squash into a nest box !!

[sarahw]

lol yes i agree  
thank you, will try.. bit nervous but they are friendly girls so might manage  

[k4t1e195]

i've had mine for a week now and they all just pile into the nesting boxes. i wasn't sure either if this was ok. was thinking bout blocking the nesting boxes off at nite as they aren't laying yet. but they seem happy and there no doing any harm.

[sarahw]

congratulations on your first egg - got my first yesterday lol.

My girls all squash into a nest box !!

its so exciting isnt it   i told her what a good / clever girl she was and stroked her  

thats ok then i can see that would be preferable was just different to what i expected so was a bit worried  

[sarahw]

congratulations on your first egg - got my first yesterday lol.

My girls all squash into a nest box !!

its so exciting isnt it   i told her what a good / clever girl she was and stroked her  

thats ok then i can see that would be preferable was just different to what i expected so was a bit worried  

great thanks, as long as they are happy, was worried had done something wrong or not done something i should have lol hope looking after chickens has therapeutic effect with all the worrying 

[Aunt Sally]

If they sleep in the nest boxes they will poo in the nest boxes.  When they start to lay you'll get dirty eggs unless you clean them out early every morning. 

[cheriton]

I also was worried when my girls didn't roost but after lots of advice from this great site  I have no worries at present.  I have had my girls 5 weeks and whoever would believe how theraputic  poo picking would be lol

[cheriton]

2 clean eggs as I poo pick the nestbox when I let the girls out .

[Aunt Sally]

That's what I do.  Easy if you use aubiose or hemcore in the nest.

[sarahw]

That's what I do.  Easy if you use aubiose or hemcore in the nest.

am new to this what are these? 

[cheriton]

That's what I do.  Easy if you use aubiose or hemcore in the nest.

Aunt Sally would you please expand on this as I have never heard of these  .

carol

[Aunt Sally]

It's fabulous stuff.  A bi-product of the hemp industry.  Sacks not Ciggies

I'll find you a link.

[Aunt Sally]

http://www.hemcore.co.uk/bedding.php

http://www.aubiose.co.uk/

It's very absorbent and dries out the poos and deoderises them.

It's cheap too and sold as horse bedding.