dalkeithowner
Chirping
- Jun 15, 2013
- 23
- 2
- 87
Hi everyone.
I am increasingly concerned about the lack of roosting of my chicken.
From the start when we bought them, two of them tended to sit in the nest boxes and two of them slept on the roosts, however i think they were actually standing on the litter tray under the roosts. I have done all sorts of things to change this behaviour:
in the last case yesterday they were so desperate to not sleep on the roosts that two of them crouched next to each other with a third on top and the fourth next to them still on the other two's heads.
I am thinking of blocking both nest boxes off but am worried what could drive them to so much length not to roost properly. The coop is new (about 4 weeks) I have checked for signs of red mite at night, use DE after washing it. If there are predators I doubt they have been anywhere near. The chicken came from two different farms are between 1 year (1 of them) and 20 weeks old (the other three). Two of them are laying. It's about 10 degrees centrigrade where we live at night, so I would not think they are cold.
I guess I want to know:
I am increasingly concerned about the lack of roosting of my chicken.
From the start when we bought them, two of them tended to sit in the nest boxes and two of them slept on the roosts, however i think they were actually standing on the litter tray under the roosts. I have done all sorts of things to change this behaviour:
- sanded the edges of the roosts to make them rounder - no effect
- Added a second layer of roosts too close for them to stand on the litter tray and about 4 inches higher. - with the effect that they tried to sleep in the nest boxes again
- Waited until an hour after sunset and then moved them out of the nest boxes onto the rosts - with most effect but I don't fancy doing that every night.
- Blocked off the nest boxes at night with some wood - worked the first night, then they moved the wood away.
- Placed bricks in the nest boxes - they slept on them despite almost no headroom
- Blocked on nest box off completely with bricks - ( did not have enough to do this with two of them)
in the last case yesterday they were so desperate to not sleep on the roosts that two of them crouched next to each other with a third on top and the fourth next to them still on the other two's heads.
I am thinking of blocking both nest boxes off but am worried what could drive them to so much length not to roost properly. The coop is new (about 4 weeks) I have checked for signs of red mite at night, use DE after washing it. If there are predators I doubt they have been anywhere near. The chicken came from two different farms are between 1 year (1 of them) and 20 weeks old (the other three). Two of them are laying. It's about 10 degrees centrigrade where we live at night, so I would not think they are cold.
I guess I want to know:
- Any idea why they behave like this?
- Is it harmful if chicken don't roost (I'd happily clean after them daily if it needs be)
- Any other suggestions what else I should try.