Chicks don't sleep on their roost

[kinnip]

It took mine awhile to get the hang of roosting. My itty bitties still don't roost much, not at all at night. I just assume they'll pick it up like the others did. I've already been laughed at for trying to show goats how to use their climbing toys. I'm not climbing on a roost and squatting!

 

[purplebaby]

my silkies wont roost. they pile in a very cute pile in the corner, so i broke down and added a planter box and they all go in there. my 3 new standards last night tried to roost ON the house top.... but once sent inside the coop they joined the pile. figure that out.

 

[Eliz]

Hey SunnyDee any luck with those chicks?

Mine are now 6 weeks and NOTHING! They don't sit on the roost at all. Every nite I put them on it and they just jump down

I hope you are having better luck now.

 

[Reinbeau]

They will sleep on their roosts soon - mine started to at about seven weeks. Don't worry.

 

[crazysilkychick]

i got 4 silkie chickens that have never gone on the perch, now they have chicks i cant get them into the habbit - any advise??

 

[pkeeler]

If they have small chicks with no juvenile feathers, it would be natural for them to stay with them on the ground. If the chicks can fly/jump, here is what I would do:

Go in at night. Find the bird you think is the flock leader. Pick that one up and put it on the perch. Once that one is perching, they will all follow.

Are you sure your perches are acceptable to silkies? What are you using?

 

[crazysilkychick]

i am using the same perches that came with the house, but have considered changing it as it is just a plank of flat wood about 3 cm long, does it have to be thinner of round?

 

[pkeeler]

I would think a 1" diameter branch would be right for bantams, so 3 cm sounds good. I don't know about the flat part. You could try rounding off the edges. It would probably be easier to just go cut a straight branch and put that up than to try and round off the edges of a small diameter piece of lumber.

 

[Alleychick]

My girls are 15 weeks and will not sleep on the roosts. They pile in the windowsills. I dont know what I will do in the winter when I shut the windows.

 

[Reinbeau]

Close the windows now, at night, so they can't roost there anymore! I'd go out at night and put them on the roosts after that. Start now and they'll be over it by then.

What kind of chickens and how wide are their roosts? We used 2x4's on the wide side and they seem to love them!