When Will They Roost at Night?

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Celizwalsh

Celizwalsh

Chirping
6 Years
Dec 4, 2013
160
26
88
Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA
My chicks are now 10 weeks old, almost full grown, and still will not roost on the bar inside their coop at night. I have some tree branches in their run that they roost on during the day and some even roost on the shorter items in the coop at night (like the wooden lip near the door and the nest box dividers). However they still won't use the actual roosting bar!? Everything I have seen them roost on is thinner then the 2x4 roosting bar which makes me think maybe they just don't like the thickness of it. I would prefer they just get used to the 2x4 rather then switch it out for something thinner because I read that having a wider bar keeps their toes from getting frost bite in the winter. I never had this problem with my last flock but their coop was larger and the roosts were tree branches set much higher then this new coop. Plus it was such a long time ago that I don't remember how long it was before they started roosting. Any ideas or advice would be awesome!
 
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It's summer now, how about letting them sleep where/how they want? I'm guessing they'll go higher up on wider roosts as they get older?
 
If you want them to roost on the bar, you have to go out there and put them on it. Wait till dark, or almost dark and go out to your coop. Pick up each bird and sit them on the roost. They may fly off, if so, just put them back on the roost. If you do this at dark, they will usually sit there till morning. You may have to do this several days in a row, but they will eventually get the idea.

My chickens are 19 weeks old. The would sit on the roost during the day and hang out, but come night time they would huddle together on the ground. It took me about 4 days to get them all to roost up on the roost bar. Now they get up there on their own.

Just be patient. :)
 
I've raised a bunch of chickens, and I have never done anything to get them to get on the roost. But, in ALL cases, they go up on the roost bar when THEY want to. They do not need to be trained, it is instinct for them to roost up off the ground at night (Except for silkies, I heard they like to stay on the ground for some reason). Just leave them be, they will go up, when they want to. Also, I would raise that roost bar, at least 30" off the deck.
 
My chicks are 8 weeks and they are my first flock. I have noticed that they start out at night clumped together in a ball in a corner of the coop by their door. Sometime after I leave they disperse themselves to the roosting bars. For the past 2 weeks every morning when I go open their door they all jump off the bars and single file run out the door. I figured they would eventually get on them at night because at 2 weeks I put bars in my brooder and they all began to roost on them at night even under the heat lamps and they get on the roosting bars in the run all day long. Hope this helps.
 
The 2x4 already fits, so I get why you wouldn't want to change it out. Maybe you could turn it 90 degrees so they have the 2 inch edge to perch on. I like to use branches for roosts but my chooks seem to prefer an old mop handle to roost on.
 
400

Yup wait til well after dark and they have been asleep for awhile and put them on there, shouldn't take more than a few times. These guys are seven weeks. One bird shy of a full roost. Lol
 

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