Bed Time

[britinpa]

Occasionally I've gone to lock my girls up and there's been one of them wandering around the coop floor. Couple of times in the past I've just picked them up and put them on the roost bar. Last night I held a flash light in there and she finally jumped up. Tonight, I tried the flashlight and she just kept walking around, then another jumped down. I've left them for a while and am going to check on them soon. If they are still on the floor, would you pick them up and put them on the roost bar or just leave them?

 

[CluckerFamily]

I would pick them up.
Do you have enough roosting space?
Sometimes they tend to fight over the perfect spot.

 

[britinpa]

I would pick them up.
Do you have enough roosting space?
Sometimes they tend to fight over the perfect spot.

It is just one long bar, the size of the coop doesn't really allow for another bar. But I think you a right, she's doesn't get her best spot. We're just going back out now.

 

[britinpa]

I would pick them up.
Do you have enough roosting space?
Sometimes they tend to fight over the perfect spot.

The one that jumped down while I was there earlier had made her way back up, the other was roosting on the floor under the roost near the door. I've tried to put her on the roost, but she doesn't seem to want to latch on and keeps going straight down to the floor, so I have left her. It's the first night below freezing tonight, so I hope she will be okay.

 

[CluckerFamily]

The one on the ground, is she the lowest on the pecking order?

 

[britinpa]

The one on the ground, is she the lowest on the pecking order?

I'm not sure, out of our 8 pullets, which is the lowest. We bought asian blacks - three of them have the brown flecks in them, and when this happens, it is always one of them wandering around (I've suspected it's the same one each time). Including last night and tonight this has happened about 7 times since we put them in the coop about 10 weeks ago. Tonight is the first time I haven't been able to put her back on the roost when I pick her up.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How long is your roost bar?

We always put birds up on the roost if they fall or jump off. It's my hubby's job to check each night that everyone's in, and everyone's roosted. To keep them from being distracted with the flashlight, he aims it downwards so there's just enough light to see, but not enough to get the birds too ruffled up.

 

[aart]

How long is your roost bar?

Yes, please.
Dimensions of coop and roost, in feet.

Pics of coop, inside and out, would help here.

 

[britinpa]

How long is your roost bar?

We always put birds up on the roost if they fall or jump off. It's my hubby's job to check each night that everyone's in, and everyone's roosted. To keep them from being distracted with the flashlight, he aims it downwards so there's just enough light to see, but not enough to get the birds too ruffled up.

Yes, please.
Dimensions of coop and roost, in feet.

Pics of coop, inside and out, would help here.

Hi, the coop is a 6 x 4 and the roost bar is the whole length of the coop. I think the size is ideal for 6 chickens (which was how many we had discussed getting), but TSC sold them in 4's, so we got the 8. It has 6 nesting boxes, but we covered 2 as we have their water sitting in that corner. We're trying to think of how to add another roost. Saw this plan of a 6 x 4 coop with bars running cross ways, so we are thinking of putting one extra in like that - I can't think of any other way of doing it. Or maybe taking out the roost bar that is there, and putting in a ladder type roost?

Last pic is the quiche I made with some of our first eggs (2 are laying now)

 

[aart]

Saw this plan of a 6 x 4 coop with bars running cross ways, so we are thinking of putting one extra in like that

That could work.