How to get cocks to stick with boxes?

[PeteDerby]

Hi chaps. Just pairing up for the first time this weekend and, touch wood, it’s started ok in terms of the selected pairs all mating (bar one couple who have only been in the loft for a week and haven’t settled yet) and no violence.

However, challenge I’ve got is that with all my stock birds being yearlings they’ve not yet got into defending a nest box and taking ownership. So, when I open the box to let a pair out and get used to going in and out, they just mate on the floor then fly up to any random box and perch on the front rather than going back in.

I was thinking tomorrow that I might leave the hens in the boxes and let the cocks roam the loft, hopefully going back to their hens and perching on the correct box front when they’ve done.

Is that a daft thing to do and, if so, is there a better way?

Many thanks in anticipation of some wise words.

[Murray]

I shouldn't worry too much just yet, Pete.
It's the first year for those pigeons in your loft. Once the hens get close to laying instinct will cause them to look for a nesting place.
As much as possible leave them to it. Nature is a wonderful thing.
You will likely have a bit of arguing if two dominant cock birds both want the same box. It's best to just keep an eye on them and let them sort it out.
Of course you have to intervene if it gets out of control and they are injuring each other, but it seldom comes to that.
Best of luck with your breeding this year. I hope you get a great team of youngsters.

[Devo1956]

A little video for you Pete we all have our own ways of how we breed and to me. The most thing I found to be the best trick was the Obesavation of your birds, checking all pairing up was going well. Also keeping stress levels down due to fighting. But each ti their own.

https://youtu.be/uHZcjGZDxiA?si=JJBcRaJXx0jbcnM8

[NeilA]

Were they all sticking to a single box before your paired Pete or using them like box perches and changing around

If you can you could lock the hen in her half for a few days and if you had some spare fronts lock the cock in the other half then around the 3rd day let him out to see if he will then defend the section next to his hen if you have that style of box
It will only delay your breeding a few days

[NeilA]

A little video for you Pete we all have our own ways of how we breed and to me. The most thing I found to be the best trick was the Obesavation of your birds, checking all pairing up was going well. Also keeping stress levels down due to fighting. But each ti their own.

https://youtu.be/uHZcjGZDxiA?si=JJBcRaJXx0jbcnM8

That’s trouble with them box’s you cant pre pair so easy

[Andy]

A little video for you Pete we all have our own ways of how we breed and to me. The most thing I found to be the best trick was the Obesavation of your birds, checking all pairing up was going well. Also keeping stress levels down due to fighting. But each ti their own.

https://youtu.be/uHZcjGZDxiA?si=JJBcRaJXx0jbcnM8

That’s alright unless you have a cock like your Hannibal Lecta Devo

[Andy]

I don’t have perches in my widowhood section so they have to perch in their nest boxes. When first paired I just let each pair out on their own for a couple of hours before shutting them back in and letting another pair out. Once the have all been out once I start letting the pairs out together that I know aren’t a problem. Within 4 days I had all the pairs out together.
I do have perches in the stock section but as these are new I have left them to get on with it. Just one of the seven pairs haven’t paired yet.

[Murray]

I don’t have perches in my widowhood section so they have to perch in their nest boxes. When first paired I just let each pair out on their own for a couple of hours before shutting them back in and letting another pair out. Once the have all been out once I start letting the pairs out together that I know aren’t a problem. Within 4 days I had all the pairs out together.
I do have perches in the stock section but as these are new I have left them to get on with it. Just one of the seven pairs haven’t paired yet.

In my small loft I have 6 nest boxes in one section and 12 perches in the other section. I leave the door open, they can pair up and go back and forth, when the first hen lays they take a box. If it's a dominant pair they usually take a top box. But not always.
My Roadrunner cock had a bottom box last year as a yearling and went straight back this year. And he's pretty strong!
As each hen goes to nest they take a box and I can have 6 pairs in boxes within 3 or 4 days. All by themselves

[NeilA]

I don’t have perches in my widowhood section so they have to perch in their nest boxes. When first paired I just let each pair out on their own for a couple of hours before shutting them back in and letting another pair out. Once the have all been out once I start letting the pairs out together that I know aren’t a problem. Within 4 days I had all the pairs out together.
I do have perches in the stock section but as these are new I have left them to get on with it. Just one of the seven pairs haven’t paired yet.

I don’t think Pete’s had claimed a box prior to pairing Andy so happy to move to another box and so on , not really got territory
It could end up with hens laying on the floor with no bowl

[Andy]

I don’t have perches in my widowhood section so they have to perch in their nest boxes. When first paired I just let each pair out on their own for a couple of hours before shutting them back in and letting another pair out. Once the have all been out once I start letting the pairs out together that I know aren’t a problem. Within 4 days I had all the pairs out together.
I do have perches in the stock section but as these are new I have left them to get on with it. Just one of the seven pairs haven’t paired yet.

I don’t think Pete’s had claimed a box prior to pairing Andy so happy to move to another box and so on , not really got territory
It could end up with hens laying on the floor with no bowl

Yes I do think that is a problem for him. I like to leave the cocks in the sections with boxes during the winter. Half box shut in the widowhood boxes and fronts removed in the stock section. It is a problem if they haven’t selected their boxes in advance.
I have got a hen in the widowhood section who instead of laying in her box decided to lay in the pile of straw that I put on the floor for them to build their own nests
If birds decide that they prefer the floor I will generally put a bowl down on the floor for them.