Will my girls freak out if I remove their normal roost?

[surfchicken72]

Here's the deal.... I have 1 RIR girl limping....

Thought she may have hurt it jumping off the roost...

So I built and painted a new ladder roost for them with closer steps.....
BUT I don't want to put that freshly painted roost ladder in there... And I didn't want "limpy" trying to make the jump up tonight, OR down in the AM...
so I completely removed the normal High roost that they use... to remove all temptation to use it.
They still have a lower one, but it's right in front of the 2 big windows.. (ALL hardware cloth

)

are they gonna freak out?

more concerned with "Limpy" making the leaps tonight and tomorrow AM
New roost will be installed first thing in the AM.

got about an hour til sundown,, guess I'll see, but just curious...

Thanks..

SurfChicken72

 

[loverOFchickens]

If there is enough room I think they should be fine. I have one that limps, never figured out why. She's been at it for two years and it gets worse in the winter but she makes the jump fine and it's not low. I have had ones with crooked toes, no toes, you name it and eventually they usually get the knack and make the jump just fine. Although I suppose it would depend on the breed. My limper was a rock so it isn't too much different from a RIR.

 

[surfchicken72]

She's a RIR

 

[surfchicken72]

they definitely appear "puzzled".... they're looking for it, right now..... Kinda comical as long as they're OK.

 

[sadies chicks]

maybe just place them on the lower roosts so they know they are supposed to be on those?

 

[surfchicken72]

yeah they're on that roost, now. runs the length of the coop. They're just looking upward.... "yo, where's the roost?"

 

[Mrs. K]

do you have their wings clipped? Because I would be quite surprised if a hen hurt a leg getting off the roost. They don't weigh that much and they spread their wings to 'fly' down. Mine fly up and down all the time, even the babies. Perhaps something else caused the limp?

MrsK