Can you change their roosting behavior??

[Wink]

I only have bantams, but an acquaintance was looking for a good home for her 3 chickens....I thought they were all silkies.

She brings over 2 silkies and one big ***** Americana, lol. For someone who has only bantams, a standard chicken is gigantic.

My coop isn't really meant for a big girl, being that the water nipples are sized for the height of bantams. The nighttime roost is also meant for bantams, being close to the roof.

So, she tells me that the 3 chickens usually sleep in a plastic box, the larger chicken doing the same thing.

I built a nice "ladder" type roost for them today and tonight, I see the large one perched on top of the indoor water system, the 2 silkies taking up residence in the nest boxes.

So I know silkies do not roost per se but prefer flat surface, but should I try to manually move the big girl onto a real roost? She looks real uncomfortable and frankly, pooping on the wrong spot!

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

Wait til dark and then move her where you want her. Do it for a few days and pretty soon she'll get used to waking up where you want her to roost, and she'll think it's her own idea. UNLESS, she's getting pecked away from the spot. I can't imagine she'd be low in the pecking order but stranger things could happen.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

This is excellent advice. I would also suggest you move the silkies out of the nesting boxes when it's dark and place them where they should be. You may need to do this every night for a little while, till they get the hang of where they're supposed to be

 

[centrarchid]

Prior to time birds go to roost remove the indoor water system or make to bird can not roost upon it. I have found that when bird gets up on roost under its own power, that greatly speeds the process of learning a new roost site.