3 out of my 4 chickens are refusing to roost they insist on sleeping cuddled up together in the nest box. My nest boxes are made up of 2 halves of a pet carrier see attached photographs any suggestions on how I can persuade them to roost. So I don�t have to clean out the nest boxes every day. I have tried taking out the nest boxed at night but they still sleep in the same place.
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Chickens won�t roost
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It might help to put a lid on the nestboxes as well as raising the perches. They look a bit 'light and airy' from the pics. If the nest boxes are dark and enclosed, chickens which are not broody are less prone to sleep in them. You may also need to lift the hens onto the perches as soon as it is properly dark for a few nights to break the habit....Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.
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hehe, if you look in the first picture, in the bottom left hand corner, you can see two of our chickens.
i am the son of Chicken husband widower and i am enjoying the chickens as much as him and my mum, although she is the one who seems to be the most entheusiastic about them =DMost of my posts are done on behalf of my mum
"My chicken does a wonderful trick. It can lay an egg." (What's so wonderful about that?) "Well... can you lay an egg?"
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I would raise the perch, and put in another perch at a diffferent height as well. I find my chooks are very definite about who roosts higher than who. (Pecking order is all). If that doesn't work block the boxes off at night,. but they'll probably sit on top
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My chickens will not roost on their perches as well. They just cuddle up in the nesting box. I've got cleaning the nesting box down to a few minutes now. I line it with newspaper, in the morning I tip the soiled newspaper in to the compost and re-line it.Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Michael Pollan
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Originally posted by Tracey View PostI've got cleaning ...down to a few minutes now. I line it with newspaper, in the morning I tip the soiled newspaper in to the compost and re-line it.
PS. they prefer the TimesLast edited by Two_Sheds; 31-08-2008, 05:25 PM.All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.
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Hi, welcome to the grapevine emilio - I have heard this advice too. Makes sense.Whoever plants a garden believes in the future.
www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated March 9th - Spring
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This might sound a daft questions - esp from someone who has kept chickens for the past 4 years, but why do they need to perch - 3 of my newer ladies do as do the two who sleep in the trees but the other 3 choose to sleep in their nesting boxes...is this a problem & should it be discouraged?How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being.�
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Sleeping in the nest boxes tends to be messy, so you get dirtier eggs, also they may keep others out who want to lay an egg early in the morning. Third reason is that it makes it harder to tell whether you have a broody.Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.
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One of mine sleeps in the nest box - given up trying to move her. Stressing at the moment since last night three of them were cuddled up in the one box and worried it might be red mite making them reluctant to get on the perch. Need to blast the perches as there are some knots in the wood that seem to be red mite holiday haven but it's torrential rain here at the moment. You might want to check your perches out too. Also, are your perches the correct width and everything? It might be worth checking.
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