chick perching/roosting so young

[Bec]

Quote:
heheheee..I think they meant 13- one weeks olds....

I have 4- 2weeks olds and the polish and the Delaware Blue both roost...on me! As son as they are out, Blue will waltz right over and fly his little fluffy butt up onto my shoulder then right onto my head! The polish will sit on your arm and fall asleep. They don't like to be touched but they have to be on you all the time and will get really close to my face and let me nuzzle them..just no hands...lol

 

[BearSwampChick]

I put two branch roosts in my brooder, both about 15 inches high, and the chicks love it. They fly up there "with the greatest of ease". I did start out with the first about 3 inches and then moved it up when the ones sitting on it got pooped on by the higher ones. However, at night they still sleep on the shavings. Oh, I started with the lower one at one week. They're now almost 3 weeks old.

 

[Chickybaby]

I've got 5 wk old chicks that have been "roosting" on a 2 x 2 my husband stuck in their pen a week or so ago. They were fighting about who was going to sit on the feeder and waterer so we figured they were ready to have some kind of perch. Some like to be up and others will sit on the floor under them - YUCK!

 

[WillsMama93]

My 6 week and 4 week old chicks have been roosting for some time now. I recently replaced the branch they were using with a 1x2 so that they can get a better footing, and they love it! Coconut was the last to hop up.. while the others perched, she would stand under them and squawk! But, she's got the hang of it now.
My 2 week old babies are roosting now too.. I put a branch in with them at 1 week, and raised the lamp, and I usually find them basking on the roost in the mornings.

 

[playmeasong]

I just realized that i made a BIG typo last night---they are WEEK old chicks, not 13 wks. So i was wondering if it's too early at 1 week to give them something to try to balance on. They are loving the wood in there, and are amusing themselves with hopping off and on it.

Now I see that others are giving them a perch as early, and there aren't any real reasons not to (unless anyone knows any???).

 

[sBrickmanHouse]

Our girls went out into the coop at 10 days old, and we put in a jungle gym of branches at different heights and angles.

They really liked hopping on and off them even at that young age, though they didn't really start roosting on anything reliably until they were 7-8 weeks old.

I'd give them something to play on-- can't hurt!