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crazypianolady
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 664
Location: Nottinghamshire
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 Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:08 am Post subject: Sleeping in the nesting box |
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My two youngsters are now about 19 weeks old, and insist on sleeping in the nesting box! I don't mind that in itself, but it does mean I have mucky straw every morning! (And I do like nice clean eggs, if you know what I mean!!!) I hoped they'd follow the big girls' example, but when I checked last night, one of them was in the straw with the young ones! 
Some questions:-
Will they start to sleep on the perches as they come into lay?
Am I alright putting something in the coop to prevent access to the nesting box overnight? If yes, what? |
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Henwife
Joined: 31 Jan 2006
Posts: 3018
Location: Monmouthshire
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, stop them sleeping in the nest box by any means available. Also, put them up on the perches when you shut up at night. A bore, but they should learn eventually. |
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greentree
Joined: 08 Jun 2007
Posts: 157
Location: Wicklow - Ireland
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:27 am Post subject: |
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Every night I have to put one of mine on the perches.
I had a bigger hen house before and the nest boxes were far away from the perches. There was no problem then.
Now I have a small kennel type thing and its so easy for them to just step off the perches into the nice and warm nest box!
Mick |
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Hen-Gen
Joined: 15 Jul 2006
Posts: 205
Location: Derbyshire and Shetland
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:06 am Post subject: |
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| The perches must be higher than the nest boxes but not so high that they can't reach them. |
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layla
Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 532
Location: West Midlands
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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| mine are back to sleeping in their nesting box again too grrr.will have to get it blocked off again. |
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JustChickens
Joined: 24 Mar 2008
Posts: 787
Location: Sussex
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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Ive just added an external nest box and added more perches which they all use  |
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EGirl
Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 1001
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Mine lay in a corner of their house! I provided a ladder perch recently and they ignored it until I extended the time on the door-closer, they now perch on the ladder to keep away from the draft I assume. I do get the odd dirty egg, but haven't felt it necessary to build a box yet. Should I? |
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crazypianolady
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 664
Location: Nottinghamshire
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 8:56 am Post subject: |
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Oooo! I feel so mean! I've started closing the nesting box off overnight with a piece od dexian(sp?) I had two confused babies the first few nights, but this morning we have little 'mountains' all neatly lined up under the perches.
Yeah!! |
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Pekinout
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 880
Location: Cornwall
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| Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 10:17 am Post subject: |
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| LOL |
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monicalock
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 22
Location: aldershot, hants
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| Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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why can't they sleep in nest boxes?  |
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greentree
Joined: 08 Jun 2007
Posts: 157
Location: Wicklow - Ireland
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| Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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| monicalock wrote: | | why can't they sleep in nest boxes? |
Er - because they poo in them. Then the other hens lay their eggs in them and you get eggs covered in poo..... |
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privatehire
Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 15
Location: West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 6:34 pm Post subject: sleeping in nest boxes |
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my sleep in the nest boxes...starting tonight they better sleep on the perch or am got to show the the KFC box!...lol  |
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Chris Kurzfeld
Joined: 29 Oct 2007
Posts: 1222
Location: Carmarthenshire
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| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 9:30 am Post subject: |
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| Mine have slept in the nest boxes for ages - they tend to just sleep in one ot two and every morning I just clean them out, I don't find it a problem. Funnily enough since the weather has warmed up they have started perching instead! This is in the coverted summer house, they have perches of varying levels, some are quite high, and they always get as high as possible. |
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crazypianolady
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 664
Location: Nottinghamshire
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Forgot to close the nest boxes off last night, and they were still clean this morning!! |
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privatehire
Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 15
Location: West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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well i shut off the boxes and woke up to find them on the perch.....woohoo!  |
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