1 girl won’t get on roost

[cry41198]

So I have finally gotten chickens. So proud of them as well!! Girls go in the coop, no problems but I have one girl, for weeks she would do this back and forth into the coop almost like she was talking her self out of going in the coop, finally she would go and she was get in a roost but now she won’t roost, lays in a corner by herself. It breaks my heart. So I thought maybe I had the roost too high, so today lowered 2 roost to about 24 inches and left another one higher. I know the chickens will go as high as possible but this poor girl. They are 17 weeks old and during the day she is finally, I think she is at the bottom of the pecking order but I’m sick with worry. And maybe it all normal. I appreciate any ideas and comments.

 

[black_cat]

So I have finally gotten chickens. So proud of them as well!! Girls go in the coop, no problems but I have one girl, for weeks she would do this back and forth into the coop almost like she was talking her self out of going in the coop, finally she would go and she was get in a roost but now she won’t roost, lays in a corner by herself. It breaks my heart. So I thought maybe I had the roost too high, so today lowered 2 roost to about 24 inches and left another one higher. I know the chickens will go as high as possible but this poor girl. They are 17 weeks old and during the day she is finally, I think she is at the bottom of the pecking order but I’m sick with worry. And maybe it all normal. I appreciate any ideas and comments.

Try just placing her on a roost every night. The later you do it, the sleepier she'll be. Once she gets into the habit of being on the roost, she'll figure it out and go herself.

 

[WindingRoad]

So I have finally gotten chickens. So proud of them as well!! Girls go in the coop, no problems but I have one girl, for weeks she would do this back and forth into the coop almost like she was talking her self out of going in the coop, finally she would go and she was get in a roost but now she won’t roost, lays in a corner by herself. It breaks my heart. So I thought maybe I had the roost too high, so today lowered 2 roost to about 24 inches and left another one higher. I know the chickens will go as high as possible but this poor girl. They are 17 weeks old and during the day she is finally, I think she is at the bottom of the pecking order but I’m sick with worry. And maybe it all normal. I appreciate any ideas and comments.

Just keep putting her on the roost at night. She'll get the hang of it. I go out before it's totally dark. Chickens can't see in the dark so maybe she's going in too late to see the roost. I have a Barred Rock that can't get up on the lower roost. She's too heavy. Last night I couldn't find her. I called and called and took my flashlight into the run and looked and looked. No Shirley. I went back into the coop and locked up. No breech in the fence etc. Then I looked in the coop and there she was sitting on the floor under the roosts. Thank God. I told her when I call you you make noise so I can find you. Silly bird.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

What breed is she? Are they all the same? I had this problem with my standard cochin girl. Even after I lowered a roost AND switched from a 2x4 to a 2x6, she refused to hop up herself. I had to manually lift her onto it once the coop was dark for a few nights like a roosting refresher course before she got the hang of things and started using it herself.

(I switched from the 4" board to the 6" since she tended to not know where her own darn feet were if the other girls got pushy and would lose her balance )

 

[aart]

So I have finally gotten chickens. So proud of them as well!! Girls go in the coop, no problems but I have one girl, for weeks she would do this back and forth into the coop almost like she was talking her self out of going in the coop, finally she would go and she was get in a roost but now she won’t roost, lays in a corner by herself. It breaks my heart. So I thought maybe I had the roost too high, so today lowered 2 roost to about 24 inches and left another one higher. I know the chickens will go as high as possible but this poor girl. They are 17 weeks old and during the day she is finally, I think she is at the bottom of the pecking order but I’m sick with worry. And maybe it all normal. I appreciate any ideas and comments.

If she's low bird then the others may not want/let her on the roost.
How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
How long is roost, in feet?
How many birds?
Dimensions and pics would help immensely here.

How long have you had the birds?
Did they all grown up together?