How do you teach chicks to roost?

[Willow's Meadow]

My chicks have been in there coop for 2 days now. I have roosts in the coop but they don't seem to sleep on them. I put them up on there a couple times and they stayed there for 10 minutes or so. Then others would jump on. But they don't stay on them for very long and they don't sleep on them over night. How can I teach them to roost? They are only a month old. Should I just keep putting them on the roosts every night or let them figure it out themselves?

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

They will figure it out. Our last batch would play on perches, but never sleep on them till about 6-7 weeks... some later. I have ONE 6 1/2 week old who roosts at night, and 11 who sleep on the floor.
My theory: the instinct to perch won't kick in till the chick is big enough it wouldn't need to sleep with the hen for warmth/protection/comfort if hatched and raised by a broody.

 

[1zooman12]

Just a hint folks about chickens returning to their appointed coops at dusk and learning to roost as well. I'm currently free ranging 3 different age levels of birds, the oldest of which have been laying eggs for about 12 weeks. I spend too much time with them during the day when they are free ranging. Some of the older chickens will come and talk while I sit amongst them comfortably in my plastic lawn chair. A few of the hens will fly up to sit on my lap; one even likes to sit on my shoulder. I have very little conflict among and between the 3 separate flocks. Each tends to stay with their own group. I notice however that as they age the younger ones will spend more and more time with the older sub-flock. In time I can see them merging as their sizes and maturity become more equalized. Each group of the same age were started out in an assigned coop. There I keep them for a week to 10 days during which time they habituate while strictly closed up in their home coop. Then one morning I simply open the door and they begin to free range. At dusk they assemble at their habituated coop without any trouble at all. By this time each sub-flock knows its coop. This they are good at if properly habituated; it takes a bit of patience and time however. One evening I came home unavoidably after dark; it had been dark for about 90 minutes. To my surprise and joy each group was piled together at their respective doors. I was also grateful that the coyotes had not yet made their evening rounds. Same for the resident red foxes. My biggest problem is getting them from ceasing their baby habit of forming night piles (coveys) and going to roost on the perches instead. If a group is raised with perches in their coop they will use them when they become teenagers i.e.. more mature with wing feathers. If you wait too long to install the perches then they don't recognize them as night roosts and it takes a longer time to get them to use them. I find myself going out at night to actually place a few individual chickens on the perches. The trick is to keep them calm during this as a few have a loud fit which unsettles those on the floor and those already placed on the perches. I hold them so that they cannot flap their wings and (don't laugh), arrange their feet on the perch and maintain the grip loosening it slowly whilst I whisper at their heads to be calm, "This is your daddy…". Sounds nutsy but it works with time and patience. I'm spared the ridicule which might ensue if the neighbors could see this phase; thank goodness it takes place in the pitch black of night. It's bad enough that they can plainly see the chicken nut with some of his hens mutually chatting in his lap in the day time. Stay well, all!

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

I'm proud to say all my young Australorps (4 mo old) are now roosting completely on their own!! They did this over night after sleeping on the ground for a little over 1 week. Some roost in with the horses in their stalls lol, but I don't care and neither do the horses! Thank you so much everyone for your help!!

 

[woodmort]

I think an adult chicken instinctively seeks a high point to sleep. As soon as they reach the stage where this instinct kicks in they will--in my experience it is a gradual process and not some where one night they're all on the floor and the next on the roost. Usually one or two start and the rest gradually join them. One thing I'm always do is make sure they they are roosting before turning them out to the yard, makes them easier to get in at night.

 

[Mak]

Mine spent a few days huddled on the floor of the coop at night (they were about 5 weeks when they went out in the coop and I kept them locked in the coop for 3 days), then one night, they just started climbing the ladder and using the roosts. Now they all sleep up there except the one who has decided that the high rafters are the place to roost!

I think they will figure it out on their own, when they are ready.

 

[azygous]

My current batch of six, six week olds, are still sleeping in a pile on the floor. This is their second night in the coop. I have no doubt they'll decide one day soon that roosting on the perch is a better place to sleep, if only to get out of their poop.

The more complicated issue is teaching them to go in and out of the coop come morning and night. The problem they're dealing with is six older sisters who, while bunking in their own partitioned off section, won't let the tykes have free passage. Each group has their own pop hole, and that ought to help, but the tykes need to muster up the bravery to get by the big hens and into the coop.

While they're still this small, I'm gathering them up and carrying them inside, and refereeing their exit in the morning. A lot of it involves maturity, learning, courage, and we just have to know when to help and when to leave them alone to learn things on their own. It's a delicate balance. But it's fun, too. They'll signal what they need from you. I knew I had to carry them inside tonight when I saw them standing in the gathering gloom in the pediatric wing of the run (where the big hens can't bully them) and frantically screeching their heads off.

 

[33yardbirds]

I built a small roost when they were six wks old just to have it available for them. They would use it during daylight like a playground Jungle Gym but would huddle on the floor at night. Now they all squabble to be on the top roost, some on the middle none on the bottom. It's all instinctive. The temporary roost was only 24" high with evenly spaced rungs. I Have not tried to train or teach my birds anything. They know what's next.

 

[azygous]

Place the chicks on the perch as close together as you can fit them. In turn, place your hands on their heads, exerting a slight downward pressure so their heads are parallel with the perch. This calms and quiets them and triggers the desire to sleep.

Keep this up until all chicks are quiet and still, about a minute. They will then remain on the perch and quickly fall asleep.

 

[Purple Doors Homestead]

In my current batch of 4 at 13 days old one likes to roost all the time since we put the little jungle gym in yesterday. He even takes naps, will try to sleep there at night then join the others. The others like to jump around on them and sit for a few moments the play around. I was wondering, how high/low should they be? And how high is too high?