Lucas Delgado
Chickens may stand on nesting boxes due to various reasons, such as health issues, the need for warmth, or the desire to hatch eggs. To prevent this behaviour, chicken owners can take several steps, including regular health checks for injuries, ensuring adequate ventilation and warmth in the coop, and providing alternative roosting options. Additionally, collecting eggs promptly and separating broody hens from the flock for a period can help deter chickens from standing on nesting boxes.
How to prevent chickens from standing on nesting boxes
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Roosting bars | Provide perching space above the floor of the coop, giving chickens a sense of security and preventing them from sleeping in soiled litter |
| Regular health checks | Check for foot and leg injuries that may make it difficult for chickens to access roosts, including bumblefoot, abrasions, splinters, and frostbite during winter |
| Draft-free coop | Prevent cold drafts from blowing into the roosting area, especially in northern regions and during winter; avoid windows facing roosts and check for cracks or holes |
| Space in the coop | Ensure sufficient space for chickens to fly down from roosts and nesting boxes without injury |
| Separate sick or injured chickens | Move unwell chickens to an infirmary pen to prevent them from roosting in nesting boxes |
| Collect eggs regularly | Promptly collect eggs to discourage chickens from roosting in nesting boxes |
| Use fake eggs | Place ceramic or rubber fake eggs in desired nesting areas to encourage chickens to roost in those spots |
| Block off nesting boxes | Physically block access to nesting boxes to prevent chickens from roosting there |
| Reduce hen broodiness | Cool the underside of broody hens, remove nest materials, tilt nest boxes, or place hens in wire cages to discourage roosting |
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What You'll Learn
- Ensure your chicken coop is draft-free, especially during winter
- Conduct regular health checks to identify any foot, leg, or wing injuries
- Remove eggs from the nesting box as soon as they are laid
- Provide alternative perching spaces above the coop floor, such as roosting bars
- Separate a broody chicken from the flock and place it in a wire-bottom cage
Ensure your chicken coop is draft-free, especially during winter
To ensure your chicken coop is draft-free during winter, you must first understand the difference between drafts and ventilation. Drafts are like a constant fan blowing on your chickens, preventing them from using their natural defence of fluffing up their feathers to create a pocket of warm air. Good ventilation, on the other hand, allows stale air to escape and fresh air to flow in, which is essential for the health of your flock.
To prevent drafts, seal any gaps or cracks in the coop with materials such as plastic sheeting or bubble wrap. Insulating the walls and windows is crucial, as it helps retain heat and keeps the cold out. Foam boards, fiberglass, and straw bales are all effective insulation options. Windows should be covered with drapes, allowing you to control airflow while trapping some warm air inside.
For proper ventilation, ensure that your coop has adequate airflow near the roof or where the wall meets the ceiling. This can be achieved through ventilation holes or small windows covered with hardware cloth to keep out pests while allowing airflow. Good ventilation is crucial to reducing ammonia fumes, preventing frostbite, managing dust levels, and maintaining air quality.
Remember, while you want to keep your chicken coop draft-free, good ventilation is vital to the health and comfort of your chickens, especially during the winter months.
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Conduct regular health checks to identify any foot, leg, or wing injuries
Chickens may roost in nesting boxes instead of their designated roosts due to injuries that make it difficult for them to get up on the roosts. Conducting regular health checks can help identify any foot, leg, or wing injuries and prevent chickens from standing on nesting boxes.
During the health checks, look out for swollen feet, which could indicate an injury or mites and lice. Check the bottoms of the feet for any injuries, round scabs, or debris accumulation under the scales. If the scales on the legs are raised, it could be a sign of scaly leg mites. This condition can be treated by smothering the mites with vegetable oil, linseed oil, or VetRx, or by coating the shanks and feet with petroleum jelly. While the drug ivermectin is also used to control leg mites, it is not approved for chickens and internal parasites can develop resistance to it.
Examine the chickens' legs for common ailments such as bumblefoot, abrasions, or splinters. In winter, check for frostbite on the toes, combs, and wattles, and ensure that your chickens are protected from the cold. Wing injuries can also make it challenging for chickens to fly up to their roosts. Check each chicken's wing for injuries, such as bruises or lacerations. If you notice any injuries, restrict the chicken's movement to aid healing. You can also apply a wound cleanser and bandage the wound.
By conducting these regular health checks and addressing any identified issues, you can help prevent your chickens from standing on the nesting boxes and redirect them to their designated roosts.
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Remove eggs from the nesting box as soon as they are laid
One of the most important things to do to prevent chickens from standing on nesting boxes is to remove eggs from the nesting box as soon as they are laid. This is because chickens are instinctually drawn to lay their eggs in specific conditions, and they will return to the nesting box if they find an egg there. If the eggs are left in the nests overnight, they will get dirty, messy, and smelly, and they are more likely to be broken, which can lead to egg-eating. Therefore, it is important to collect eggs at least once a day, usually when locking up after dark.
It is also important to prevent chickens from roosting in the nesting boxes. Chickens poop a lot at night, and if their droppings accumulate in the nesting boxes, it will make for messy box litter that will need to be cleaned out every day. To break this habit, you can block off the boxes every evening. Depending on how the nesting boxes are set up, you can use a large board, cardboard, or chicken wire screens to block off the nesting boxes. By blocking the nesting boxes off in the late afternoon or early evening, you can prevent your chickens from accessing them come roosting time.
Another way to prevent chickens from standing on nesting boxes is to ensure that they are healthy and do not have any foot or leg injuries that make it difficult for them to get up on the roosts. Regular health checks can help identify any ailments such as bumblefoot, abrasions, or splinters. During the winter, frostbite can affect the toes of chickens, making it painful for them to roost. Proper precautions should be taken to prevent frostbitten toes, combs, and wattles. Wing injuries can also make it difficult for chickens to fly up to the roosts, so it is important to ensure there is plenty of space in the coop for the chickens to fly down from the roosts without crashing.
In addition to removing eggs and addressing health issues, providing alternative options for roosting can help prevent chickens from standing on nesting boxes. Chickens naturally seek secure, high places to roost at night so they feel safe as they sleep. Roosting bars in the chicken coop provide perching space above the floor and a sense of security. It is also important to ensure that the chicken coop is draft-free, especially during cold months, as drafts may prevent chickens from wanting to roost there. However, while keeping drafts out, good ventilation is also necessary.
Finally, some people have suggested using fake or ceramic eggs to train hens to lay in specific areas. This method may be useful in preventing chickens from standing on nesting boxes by encouraging them to lay in designated spots. However, it is important to remove the fake eggs once the hens have established their laying spots, as leaving them for too long may cause the hens to try to hatch them.
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Provide alternative perching spaces above the coop floor, such as roosting bars
Chickens instinctively seek high ground to sleep on, as it makes them feel safer from ground predators. They also like to feel secure and will look for a high place to roost at night. Therefore, it is important to provide alternative perching spaces above the coop floor, such as roosting bars.
Roosting bars should be placed at least 2 feet above the floor or higher than the nesting boxes, with a minimum of 8–10 inches of perching space per chicken. They should be placed 12 inches apart vertically and horizontally in a stair-step fashion. The wider side of the roosting bar should face up to protect chickens' feet from frostbite and predators like mice or rats.
To avoid chickens defecating on the nesting boxes, do not place any bars above them. Instead, place a litter shelf or scrap board underneath the roosting bars to make cleaning easier. You can also cover the shelf with a waterproof liner and fill it with bedding or sand.
If a chicken is injured, it may be easier for them to roost in spots like the nesting boxes. Therefore, it is important to do regular health checks and provide plenty of space in the coop for them to fly down from the roosts without injuring themselves.
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Separate a broody chicken from the flock and place it in a wire-bottom cage
Chickens are instinctual creatures, and their habits can be hard to break. One such habit is roosting in nesting boxes, which can lead to dirty eggs and overcrowded nesting boxes. One way to prevent this is to separate a broody chicken from the flock and place it in a wire-bottom cage, also known as a "broody breaker".
The wire-bottom cage should be raised off the floor and placed in a well-lit location away from the coop. This allows cool air to circulate under the hen, cooling her brood patch. It is important that the cage is elevated, without litter, and located away from the coop. The key is to make the chicken as uncomfortable as possible, without causing harm. The cage should provide plenty of airflow and should be stable.
The chicken should be kept in the broody breaker 24 hours a day until she is no longer broody. To test if she is ready to return to the flock, remove her from the cage and observe her behaviour. If she returns to her chosen nest, she must be placed back in the broody breaker until she behaves normally.
It is important to break a chicken's broodiness as soon as possible, as it can inspire other hens to brood, leading to overcrowded nests and broken eggs. A chicken that is allowed to sit indefinitely can suffer long-term health consequences and even die from malnutrition or dehydration.
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Frequently asked questions
Standing on nesting boxes could be a sign of broodiness, especially if the chicken is squawking whenever you approach it. To prevent this, you can:
- Remove the eggs from the nesting box as soon as they are laid.
- Block off the nesting box with a piece of wood.
- Put the chicken in a wire cage with good ventilation, food, and water but no bedding.
- Place ceramic fake eggs in the designated roosting areas.
- Remove any straw or nesting material from the boxes.
A broody chicken will take up a position in her favourite nesting box and will be agitated if you try to disturb her. She will sit on her eggs all day long in an attempt to hatch them.
Chickens poop a lot at night, so if they are roosting in the nesting boxes, the litter will need to be cleaned out daily. If the litter is not cleaned out, the eggs will become dirty and stinky.
To break a chicken's broodiness, you can:
- Remove the chicken from the nesting box and collect her eggs regularly.
- Carry the chicken around for 10-15 minutes to "air her out".
- Place the chicken in a cage with a wire bottom.
- Spray the chicken with cold water.
To prevent broodiness, you can reduce the chances of your chicken turning broody by:
- Removing eggs from the nesting box as soon as they are laid.
- Not allowing hens into the nesting box after laying their eggs for the day.
