Getting chickens to use the roosts.

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Rockythgr81

Rockythgr81

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jun 13, 2014
40
3
31
Hyden, Kentucky
I have plenty of roosting space for my entire flock but only about 10 of the 64 chickens are actually using the roosting bars. The others gather near the "person" entrance door on the coop floor. (I know this because I can peek in a crack above the door). Is this the result of the older hens not letting the rest use them or lack of interest on the rest of the chickens part. How do I get the others to get up off the floor? Or do I even need to concern myself with it? I believe my coop is safe enough but thought more of them would actually act like chickens.
 
I had this problem with some birds I adopted. They just would not sleep on the roosting sticks, even though all the other birds would. Wanted to sleep in the nesting boxes, super annoying. :/ makes it all poopy!

Anyway, what I did, was to start going out after dark and actually picking them up and setting them on the roosting sticks. Took about a week, but they figured it out. I realized too, if I left the lantern in too long, they had enough light to jump back down. But if I did it quickly, before they realized what I was doing, and took the light away, they would stay up for the night.
 
sunheeter said:
I had this problem with some birds I adopted. They just would not sleep on the roosting sticks, even though all the other birds would. Wanted to sleep in the nesting boxes, super annoying.
hmm.png
makes it all poopy!

Anyway, what I did, was to start going out after dark and actually picking them up and setting them on the roosting sticks. Took about a week, but they figured it out. I realized too, if I left the lantern in too long, they had enough light to jump back down. But if I did it quickly, before they realized what I was doing, and took the light away, they would stay up for the night.
Click to expand...

Thanks, this may help, but I leave a red light on all the time in the coop; part of the reason it is so safe. But I will try to physically move the and see if they get the message.
 

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