[chick with chicks]

We are into week two of having the girls, and we can see that when they go into their house that they are all piling into one box! We have nine hens!
How they manage it I don't know but why aren't they going into their own boxes to sleep?
Help?

[cathangirl]

Hello chick with chicks,
Welcome to the fun of chicken keeping!
Nest boxes are for laying in, not for sleeping in. 
Do you have perches in your hen house?  The perches should be higher than the nest boxes.  When your girls go to bed, lift them out of the nest box and place each one on the perch.  Hopefully they will get the idea after a few nights of that.
Good luck.
cathangirl

[themagicaltoad1]

My 3 sleep in the nest box as well, I assumed it was because they are still young and enjoy cuddling up together at night. I thought it was something they would grow out of as they got older???

[BrianK]

My 4 pile into the nest box as well.

I didnt know that about the perches.   I have two but their ground level.  Will have to add some higher ones if that's the case.

[chick with chicks]

Gotcha! Thanks cathangirl! Yes in the morning they are all on the perch allright!
They have a lovely one all high up 
That's great, my chicks are normal, no complexes then!

Carina

[cathangirl]

   Glad to have been of service!   

cathangirl.

[SMD66]

We had 9 in 1 box too when we 1st got them!  I went in as it was getting dark and couldnt see very well but could make out hens in a nest box.  I felt like a magician as I lifted out ane after another after another   After a few nights lifting them onto perches they got the message.

[Rivereden]

You could really do with lifting them out as often as possible at night. Perches are for roosting and boxes are for the eggs. Otherwise in the winter months when the chickens are locked up for longer you will find that they poo in their boxes overnight and then the eggs get really messy the next day.

I shut off the boxes for a few weeks at night when i introduce new girls. This stops them being attracted into the laying boxes.

[CDave]

We have 4 boxes for 9 girls. I used to get hung up on the fact that they had to roost on perches. 3 from 9 pile into 1 box. Now I couldn't care less. Poo pick each morning from the box(es) they use. It clearly bothers us a lot more than them.

[SMD66]

I closed off nest boxes at night, lifted them onto perches and someone still now sleeps in one of the 6 nest boxes, I took most of the straw out of it to make it less comfy and they don't lay in that one now so if there is poo in there it's not on eggs.