about roosting.

[bluefeather2697]

hi guys, sorry, dunno where to post this.
i have two ex-battery leghorns and i love everything about them....
except for one..

THEY DONT KNOW HOW TO ROOST. :/ (well, i understand after 2 years of caged life)

the results are, POOPY BUTTS and i hate their DIRTY EGGS.
i do bath them once a week but i'm starting to get lazy to do that.

so maybe i'll just try to teach them to roost. but i dunno how.
can u help me out?

here're some of their pics.





you wouldn't want to see their poopy butts.

 

[Kittyf]

What pretty girls!
Mine don't roost either, because at their breeders they never learned.

So, even though my four will not use the roost, I have an elevated platform that they sleep on - it's about 20" square and is between the main coop and the nest boxes. They have a ladder to it and sleep up there and I have an access door to it, so cleanup is easy. I do have the ocassional poopy-butt, mostly with the largest hen, but not too much. I use a piece of cardboard with wood shavings on it in that area on the floor and change it out every 2 days or so.
Poopy-butt usually cleans herself in the run & dust bath during free range time. I have not had to bathe her - not sure I could! I only see a dirty egg once in a rare while as they use the nest boxes to lay in now.

And it is wonderful that you have rescued those lovely girls.