Chickens not using perch in new coop

[LBLYTHE]

Moved my 8 wk old chicks to their new coop. They are not roosting on the perch but instead huddled together in the corner . Why are they not using the perch?

 

[DobieLover]

Moved my 8 wk old chicks to their new coop. They are not roosting on the perch but instead huddled together in the corner . Why are they not using the perch?

No one ever showed them how.
A broody raised chick is taught to roost by it's mother at about 2.5 weeks old.

Your chicks are fully feathered. They are not cold.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chicks roost sooner if someone (doesn't even have to be mama) shows them how. I don't train my chicks to roost, but they've always followed adults (or in my first batch, I had added started pullets that had been around other adults) up onto roost with no interference from me.

Without adults to show them, IF you want them to roost now, you'll need to manually place them on the roost at dark to show them that's where they should be. Conversely, if you don't want to bother with that, if you leave them to their own devices they should figure it out over time, but it can take weeks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Why are they not using the perch?

Probably because they don't want to yet. I don't have a clue what your coop looks like or how it is laid out and all I know about your chicks is their age and they are sleeping in a corner. It is possible there is something about your conditions that is having an effect but what you describe is normal for mine.

My brooder-raised chicks tend to start roosting somewhere around 10 to 12 weeks of age when there are no adults around. Broody-raised chick are different but I don't think that is what you are talking about. Until mine start roosting they sleep in a group in a corner.

If you really want to you can wait until after dark so they can't see to fly down and set a couple on the roosts. You don't need to do them all, usually when one starts the rest soon follow. Be consistent and put the same ones up there every night. It usually doesn't take long. Personally I don't bother but it will not hurt anything to train them.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

You may need to train them to use perch if no mumma hen to teach them. Just place them up on perch each night and they should get the idea after a couple night or so

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

Chicks roost sooner if someone (doesn't even have to be mama) shows them how. I don't train my chicks to roost, but they've always followed adults (or in my first batch, I had added started pullets that had been around other adults) up onto roost with no interference from me.

Without adults to show them, IF you want them to roost now, you'll need to manually place them on the roost at dark to show them that's where they should be. Conversely, if you don't want to bother with that, if you leave them to their own devices they should figure it out over time, but it can take weeks.

Yes I let my babies do their own thing and started roosting consistently around 16 weeks.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Southeast Virginia shouldn't be too cold this time of year, is it?
They will figure out the roost, just give them time. Chickens don't like change.

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

Mine did the same thing. It just takes time.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

They’re young they will figure it out you can show them if you want. The only exception that I know of are silkies they tend to pile rather than perch no matter their age.

I've never had a pile of Silkies sleeping
All mine perch unless chicks/ learning to perch or broody in the nest box

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I've never had a pile of Silkies sleeping
All mine perch unless chicks/ learning to perch or broody in the nest box

From what I’ve heard I can depend on the chickens or the height of the roost they can have trouble getting up or down from the roost because of their feathers so they tend to prefer a lower roost. I have one friend who made hers a ramp to get up!