2 month old chicks afraid to use roost?

[DSill]

My six chicks are 8 weeks old. They huddle in a corner when they come into the coop from their run in the evening, before dark. I've read chickens are blind at night. Are they afraid?
Also, we made a roost 36" up they can access on a ramp. They climb or fly up sometimes during the day, but are they old enough to be using it at night? There is a poop tray about 6 inches under the roost. Should I begin encouraging them to go up, or is it too soon?

 

[rosemarythyme]

If they can get up there during the day, they can get up there at night. I assume you have no adults? Chicks learn best when there's adults to show them what to do - so in lieu of that, if you want them roosting now, you get to be the adult chicken and show them how to roost by manually putting them on the bar at night.

4 week old chicks, putting themselves on the roost:

 

[DSill]

If they can get up there during the day, they can get up there at night. I assume you have no adults? Chicks learn best when there's adults to show them what to do - so in lieu of that, if you want them roosting now, you get to be the adult chicken and show them how to roost by manually putting them on the bar at night.

4 week old chicks, putting themselves on the roost:
View attachment 2238027

Thank you. No adults, so I'll help them. I had to teach them to go back into the coop in the evening, so I thought maybe I'd need to help them with this, too.

 

[jreardon1918]

Thank you. No adults, so I'll help them. I had to teach them to go back into the coop in the evening, so I thought maybe I'd need to help them with this, too.

They will get up there soon enough. Our six week olds are not roosting yet. But they have moved into the main coop on their own. They are sleeping on a log near the roost. I imagine they well move up with the big girls soon.

The picture shows a heat lamp. I would say they no longer need that.

 

[DSill]

Right, they haven't had the heat lamp for a while. I've taken it down since I took the photo! It's finally gotten into the 50's at night and they are pretty feathered.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My brooder-raised chicks typically do not start roosting until they are 10 to 12 weeks old. They will play on the roosts during the day but that's just play, not sleeping at night. I have had some start roosting at night as early as 5 weeks and some start much later but 10 to 12 is a good average. This is with no adults present. My set-up is different from yours, that might make a difference too. My broody-raised chicks are different.

As long as mine are not sleeping in my nests and are someplace predator safe I don't care where they sleep. They move to the roosts when they are ready. As you pointed out, they can fly up there, they don't need the ramp. I don't think that ramp helps or hurts them roosting. They just have to want to.

If you feel they need to sleep on the roosts, go out after dark and set a few on the roost. Usually it doesn't take long for them to get the message, especially if it is really dark in there at night. You don't have to train all of them, usually once one starts the rest follow pretty quickly.