10 week old girls are still not using the roost..

[freshfish]

I have about 13 new pullets that are 10 weeks old and are still sleeping together huddled in a corner. Should I do something? They will hop on the roost during the day but they are not sleeping on it at night.

Thanks for any input,
John

 

[theoldchick]

I had 3 twelve week old pullets who did the same thing. Since I purchased them from a breeder, I don't know if they had ever touched the ground before. I put a 4x4 where they huddled at night and they got the idea of sitting on it. A log will do, also. Then I put a perch in a corner of the coop that was only a few inches high and put the 4x4 near it. The dominant pullet wanted to be higher than her sisters and the others followed. As they grew accustomed to the height I raised the perch until I eventually had the pole where I wanted it. Oddly, these pullets loved a dog crate and would go in it at night all by themselves. So I assumed they were raised in a similar contraption.






To prevent this problem, give day old chicks a low perch to sit on. You'll be surprised to see them use it-even if it's for a few seconds at first. You can be creative and give them other things to perch on-an empty oatmeal container will do. The most exciting thing for my chicks was putting in a small cardboard box for them to climb on. Don't have to be fancy, but you can be creative.




I don't like to force chickens to do things. Putting them up on the roost will only make them panic, and maybe hurt themselves when they jump back down. Just make it easy for them and they'll figure it out. Chicken have a natural instinct to perch, and will do so if the environment allows it. Heck, humans make great perches if we sit still long enough.




Heck, they'll do your hair if you let them.

 

[freshfish]

Thanks for the reply, I guess ill give them another option to roost on and give them some more time. Only a few of my girls are as friendly as the ones in your pictures....

John