Chickens won't roost on the roosting boards at night

[Organic Gal]

I have been beside myself trying to understand why my 11 week old chickens won't roost at night on the roosting boards. I have seen 4 of the 7 chickens roosting during the day in the coop but went they come in the coop to sleep at night they huddle in one corner in front of the nest boxes. I have the nest boxes blocked with chicken wire otherwise they would probably roost/sleep in them. My coop is 6X7,2 roosting boards 6 ft long opposite two windows. Above the roosting boards is a 4 ft vent which is much higher than the roost. The nest boxes are under the windows. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I have had to teach my flock to roost at night before. What you have to do is: at dusk when your flock is docile and settled in for the night, pick each one up and put on the roosts. Do this for 2 to 3 days until they learn where they should be roosting. It’s a pain in the butt, but it will work!
Best of luck!

 

[centrarchid]

A trick that has worked for me is to simulate a predator attack. When a roosting chicken is scared by a predator, it more than likely will roost in another location the following night and will get stressed if it cannot make the change. Logical.

I go out after dark with no lights and disrupt the roosting group forcing them apart. If a couple squawks, then all the better. The following night all or at least most will relocate.

 

[21hens-incharge]

They are young yet. Just setting them on the roosts as Chick-N-Fun laid out works well and is not stressful on them.

If your roosts are higher than 12-18 inches you may need a "junior" roost until they get the hang of getting up and down.

 

[zhutson789]

I have been beside myself trying to understand why my 11 week old chickens won't roost at night on the roosting boards. I have seen 4 of the 7 chickens roosting during the day in the coop but went they come in the coop to sleep at night they huddle in one corner in front of the nest boxes. I have the nest boxes blocked with chicken wire otherwise they would probably roost/sleep in them. My coop is 6X7,2 roosting boards 6 ft long opposite two windows. Above the roosting boards is a 4 ft vent which is much higher than the roost. The nest boxes are under the windows. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The same thing is currently happening to me. We have 10 12 week old chicks and it took 4 days of us stuffing them into the box. 4 days later, there is about 3 on the bars. They will figure it out pretty soon no worries!

 

[birdsrfun]

I have three hens who are 2 years and older. Every once in a while, any one of them will not get up on the roost, and we’ll find them laying in the nesting box. They’re not being broody, but they didn't get up on the roost. What we seem to have found may seem silly, but our girls tend to wait until it’s pretty darn dark before going into the coop. It’s dark in the coop, and I think they can’t see well enough to get up on the roost. Chickens don’t see well in the dark.

When we leave a small door of the coop open, we don’t have this issue. It seems to give enough light for all the hens to get up on the roost. We just go out, check that they’re all up, and close the door for the night.

Like I said, it seems silly, but this has done the trick for us. We have no issues with predators, so this works for us. If you have concerns about leaving a door open until you can get out to check on them, try adding a little light in your coop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

When we leave a small door of the coop open, we don’t have this issue. It seems to give enough light for all the hens to get up on the roost. We just go out, check that they’re all up, and close the door for the night.

Like I said, it seems silly, but this has done the trick for us. We have no issues with predators, so this works for us. If you have concerns about leaving a door open until you can get out to check on them, try adding a little light in your coop.

Adding a window or two is another option (and takes out the risk of forgetting to close the door). I really love having natural light in the coop - makes it easier on me to see inside, and easier for the chickens to navigate too.

 

[centrarchid]

Window addition is usually better long-term approach, but a night light can get job done too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Roosting is when they sleep on the roosts at night. Perching is when they play on the roosts during the day. Two different things and not really related but perching shows that they can get up there. No ramps or intermediate perches needed.

My brooder raised chicks typically start roosting on their own at 10 to 12 weeks, assuming no adults are present. I have had some start at 5 weeks, I've had some go longer but 10 to 12 weeks is fairly consistent. It's possible the configuration of my coop has an influence on when mine start. As long as mine are sleeping in a predator-proof area and are not in the nests I don't worry about it. They'll roost when they are ready.

Mine is not that dark. Lots of high ventilation (covered with hardware cloth) lets in plenty of natural light. So that's never been a problem for me. But plenty of people I trust on here say they have had that problem. It's possible some type of window or small temporary light could help. My preference would be natural light so you have a passive system that doesn't require your attention for it to work.

Not sure how your coop is laid out. At 6' x 7' it should big enough. Some people run into problems with roosting if they coop is so small or cluttered they can't spread their wings and fly up or down. They also want a clear landing area to land in. Hitting nests, feeders, or waterers on the way down is not pleasant and can be dangerous.

Not sure how high your roosts are compared to the nests. If your roosts are higher than the nests them sleeping in the nests is generally not a problem once they start roosting. If they sleep in nests instead of on the roosts there is a reason. Something is just not right. Once they start roosting on the roosts I'd open up the nests and see what happens. If they do move to the nests I'd want time to fix that problem before I start getting poopy eggs.

If you want to train them to sleep on the roosts you certainly can by sticking them on the roosts after it is really dark in there. You want it dark enough so they don't just hop down. Just getting a couple to sleep up there should be enough, the rest should quickly follow them. I don't see anything wrong with that, hopefully you have access. It's just never been necessary for me to try.

 

[birdsrfun]

Like Ridgerunner says, adults may not let your hen up. There is a pecking order, and even if all birds are juvenile pellets, one or several birds may be at the bottom of that pecking order and the other girls may not let them up at night.

Or, it may just take a little more time.