6-Week old chicks not roosting

[Mandee297]

We moved our four 6-week old chicks outside to coop and they were sleeping all huddled in nesting boxes. I’ve covered them hoping they’d use the roosts but instead they are just huddled together on ground. I’m going to keep the nesting baskets covered a couple weeks and hope they make their way to the roosts on their own
Unfortunately the nest boxes are higher than the roost bars
View attachment 2224342

 

[hysop]

As they get older they will continue roosting in the nesting boxes because they are higher than the roost bars. Chickens want the highest spot the older they get.

I have Jersey Giants that are 9 weeks old who still refuse to roost. They sleep on the ground

 

[Mandee297]

As they get older they will continue roosting in the nesting boxes because they are higher than the roost bars. Chickens want the highest spot the older they get.

I have Jersey Giants that are 9 weeks old who still refuse to roost. They sleep on the ground

Dang. Should I bother even covering the boxes then. I read it was a bad habit for them to sleep in those. Our coop limits us a bit.

 

[hysop]

Dang. Should I bother even covering the boxes then. I read it was a bad habit for them to sleep in those. Our coop limits us a bit.

I’ve had other breeds roost early. I just don’t know why these want to keep huddling together.

I want to say you should cover your nest boxes but you would have to cover and uncover them always if you don’t want them roosting there, which to me that’s time consuming and I honestly wouldn’t do it myself.

If one day you want to upgrade your coop then I would leave it for now. I know my first coop had nest boxes the same height as my roost bars (it was a premade chicken coop from TSC) and there was always poop in them

I dealt with it for like a year before I upgraded and built my own (well my hubby did).

 

[rosemarythyme]

See about moving the roosts higher... might take a little creative wrangling but generally it's doable with some finagling. If you have more photos of interior so I can see all angles I can probably mock in where the roosts can be moved to.

Not unusual for young chicks to not roost. When you see young birds voluntarily roosting it's because they're following behavior shown by mama or other adult birds. So you can either put them on the roost to teach them that's where they should be, or be patient and let them figure it out over time.

 

[Mandee297]

See about moving the roosts higher... might take a little creative wrangling but generally it's doable with some finagling. If you have more photos of interior so I can see all angles I can probably mock in where the roosts can be moved to.

Not unusual for young chicks to not roost. When you see young birds voluntarily roosting it's because they're following behavior shown by mama or other adult birds. So you can either put them on the roost to teach them that's where they should be, or be patient and let them figure it out over time.

 

[Mandee297]

View attachment 2224379

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is that a second bank of nest boxes... oh, I see. Lemme see what I can come up with...

 

[Mandee297]

Right now the openings to the boxes have cardboard blocking openings

 

[Mandee297]

Is that a second bank of nest boxes... oh, I see. Lemme see what I can come up with...

Thank you