- Feb 24, 2014
- 220
- 27
- 98
Alright! I have 20 hens and a rooster. 7 of my girls use our roost, the highest bar. The rest still prefer to sleep huddled in the corner of my coop. I can keep showing them the roosts and such and they just won't get past this. I only have one girl laying (my silkie) the rest have not reached laying age and my husband is putting in my nesting boxes as I type. And they will go RIGHT where these ladies and gent prefer to sleep. I'm worried Im gonna get a bunch of girls trying to use my nesting boxes as beds. So I'm planning to cover the fronts with fabric to keep that from happening. But I need advice any at all to help my girls to roost. There is MORE than enough space for all of them on the roosting bars I mean I have 7 that roost together now on one bar and still plenty of room for like 4 more birds up there with them and there are lower bars. (Ladder style roosts) The floor in the coop is cement and I use pine shavings on top of it. I had a friend suggest removing the bedding for a week to see if that would encourage them to huddle together and up there?? Has anyone ever done that and had success?? I had never heard that as a solution. I know it would make cleaning messier but I don't mind spraying it out once a week for awhile if it means helping getting these ladies in a better habit! Let me know what you have tried and worked and any other suggestions!!! Thanks SO much!!!!