Chickens Roosting the Wrong Way!

[taylorashleyd]

I have my three girls that finally have a coop now. They are LOVING it, but one thing is bugging me. We have a roost ladder for them (being in cold weather I wanted something so they could cover their toes in the winter) with two levels on it. We did two levels planning on future chicken expansion (heh) expecting three per level. Of course my girls took the top rung on the ladder which I thought they would...but they are roosting backwards on it! They face the back of the coop, which means their butts would be hanging over the heads of any future chickens. Not a good situation.

I have been going out at night when it gets dark and turning them to face forward which they absolutely hate. Sometimes they stay that way, but sometimes they turn back around. I've been doing this for a couple days, but is there something different I should try? Just keep trying to turn them? Or am I fighting a losing battle? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Chickens will roost facing either direction. They sometimes will stagger one facing out, one facing in, and so on to avoid being pecked by the neighboring bird.

If you're able to space your roosts out a bit, it will ease your frustration.

 

[galanie]

Haha to the chicken, there is no back and front to a roost. And on those ladder systems, with many flocks no one roosts anywhere but on the top one. Your situation might explain why that is

 

[Den in Penn]

That is one reason I don't use a ladder roost.

 

[7 Biddies]

I have a ladder roost, but all 7 girls get on the top rung to roost at night. Therefore, I'm putting up a longer/larger top pole (a wood closet rod that will go wall to wall) that they can all share, and using the bars below for them to use as a ladder to help them up there. You can't fight city hall ... or chickens ... so you may as well just try to adapt..

 

[Peacelily777]

To funny, I Googled this very subject and here you are 10 years before me! Now if someone could just tell me why I can't get the humidity out and yes I have vented a lot. I am using deep litter method, have seven hens it's the dead of winter and we're about to hit the negative zeros.. to heat or not to heat nothing seems to help with the humidity. I even thought maybe they were facing backwards to get fresh air..

 

[WIchickMama]

Would you be willing to share pics of your venting? How big is your coop? Would love to help with humidity but need a bit more information.

I personally would not heat, we get below zero temps a lot over the winter and I do not heat.

 

[Mrs. K]

In my old coop, had the ladder type roost - and no one ever roosted on the lower rungs, even if it meant falling off the roost. They would fly back up there.

I have a couple of roosts all at the same height. Just old fence posts - so some are thinner and some are thicker. They face all kinds of directions.

Mrs K