Do chickens HAVE to roost for health reasons? Mine are pile sleepers!

[Forest Cantina]

Hi everyone

We have a flock of a mix of breeds and we have a walk in coop for them inside very high fences. They have a roost area that has 2x1 with rounded edges (we heard that that was the best size and most comfortable shape for their feet) but none of them like to roost on there. They prefer to sleep in a pile on the floor together. And they have done for over a year now. It's summer here, so they can't be huddled together because it's cold. We have even upgraded coops to a different well researched roost design a few months ago and they STILL don't like to roost! My husband and i were just discussing that if they HAVE to roost, we will rip out the current roost and try ANOTHER design?!?

I've read on here that they like to sleep up high instinctively, but do they have to sleep on a roost because of health reasons? Because roosting is good for their feet??? ie: should i ''train'' them to sleep on the roost or just let them be? They are a mix of ages, we brought as either hens or pullets. Actually, the Plymouth Rock USED to roost but now she has joined the pile

We tried training them once, but not all the chickens like to be picked up so its really hard to place all of them on the roost. So we gave up.

Any advice?

 

[Sjisty]

They don't have to roost. I have some that roost and some that "pile up" on the floor of the coop. They all seem to do just fine.

It could be your roost is too high. If you have big birds, it's hard on them to jump down. Maybe if you put the perch closer to the floor of the coop, some of them might try it out, but they are creatures of habit, so if they have been sleeping on the floor for a year, I don't think they are going to change.

The only down side to the floor sleepers is sometimes I have to clean poop off their backs from the upstairs guys!

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I'm thinking there's some reason that they're not wanting to roost. Is it too high or does it need a gangplank for them to reach the roost? Is there an opening or window near the roost? I have a lot of windows in my coop and my girls initially didn't like roosting near a window. Guess they felt unprotected. I put a piece of fabric - a sort of curtain - over the window at night and that solved the problem.

I initially trained mine to go to the roost at night by laying little piles of corn on it right at dusk. They'd get on the roost to get the corn and would stay there.

The only reason I don't like them to sleep in a pile or somewhere other than the roost is that they get their butts messy with their constant night-time pooping if they don't.

 

[centrarchid]

What are your temperatures? How much light gets into area they are supposed to be roosting in when it is time to go to roost? Breeds? Please show a picture of roost site to show height from ground and proximity to obstructions.


I like mine to roost up for a range of reasons. First, keeps them free and clear of their own feces. Second, provides a measuring of protection from nonclimbing predators that eventually get into poultry area. Thirdly, enables rapid inspection of birds at night for head count and sometimes health.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I have some that roost 5' high, some that roost on rungs lower down (lower in the pecking order) some that roost on the bar in front of the nest boxes, and pullets that roost on the floor (because of being low in the pecking order, I suppose). We have six house-sized windows around the perches and that doesn't seem to be a problem. Sometimes there are lights on at night when they go to roost, like in the winter; sometimes there are not. I don't see any differences other than chicken preference.

I would like them all to roost for the reasons centrarchid stated, but it's not worth trying to force it, IMO. However, if there is something keeping them off the roosts (an older hen changing her preference is an indication of this) then it's worth looking into. Please do post the photo and we'll take a look. Here's mine, btw:

 

[azygous]

Not wanting them to sleep in their night time poop is my biggest reason for wanting mine to roost. However, there are always a few who want to sleep on the floor under the perch or in the nest boxes.

The objective is to figure out the reason why they don't want to roost and try to remedy the situation. It's not always easy.

One of the reasons why some of mine haven't wanted to roost has been the perch was too high and they are too heavy. So I built several low perches. I had to keep lowering the one my young cockerel uses because he became so big and heavy so quickly, he never developed the confidence to try to hop up. Finally, a perch about eight inches off the floor did the trick. I was accommodating to him because his daddy broke his leg dismounting his perch, and when this cockerel was but six weeks old, I had to put his daddy down. Very sad.

A couple of my heavy breed hens try to sleep on the floor under the perch even though they have low perches that require them simply to step up. In these cases, I try to discourage the habit by placing them on the perch at head-count time. It's a matter of a battle of the wills. Most of the time, they will go back to sleeping on the perch after battling me for a few weeks.

Who ever said keeping chickens was simple?

 

[azygous]

Almost everyone assumes chickens will naturally know to roost. I haven't found this to be the case at all. Most of my youngsters, upon moving from the brooder to the coop, have no idea what the roosting perch is for until I place them up there.

To make it super easy on everyone, I usually place them on the perch just as it's gotten too dark for them to see. And if you place them very close together so they're touching, they are far less likely to want to leave the security of their mates and jump off. You may need to do this for a second night, but they should catch on by the third night and hop up on their own.

And turn off the light. They don't need the heat at this age.

 

[1muttsfan]

To make it super easy on everyone, I usually place them on the perch just as it's gotten too dark for them to see. And if you place them very close together so they're touching, they are far less likely to want to leave the security of their mates and jump off. You may need to do this for a second night, but they should catch on by the third night and hop up on their own.

And turn off the light. They don't need the heat at this age.

X2, especially about the light (except that I just let them find the perches on their own, they always do eventually)

As well, I agree with several of the above posts - check that your perches are not too high (you can install a lower one that they can use as a step up). Also check the roosts for parasites, fowl mites can cause birds a lot of discomfort.

A 2x4 layed flat actually is an even better perch, it gives a nice level surface to rest on and allows them to pull their feet up into their feathers at night.

 

[Karasaba]

I have Isa brown chickens who lay eggs daily. One chook got egg bound and had to be put down I was told it was because they were roosting in the nesting box instead of the roost I provided which the just wouldn't go on. The explanation was that they poop in the box and get an infection it happens very quickly and you only notice when they become lethargic. Since then I go out every night and move the girls to the roost once they have gone to bed and block the access to the nesting boxes from the roost. Luckily I have a second access to the nesting boxes from outside the house so when they wake up they can climb down from the roost go out then up to the nesting boxes to lay. The farmer said they would quickly learn to roost and I am here to tell you that they are very very slow to learn!

 

[foreverlearning]

Some breeds have a hard time roosting. If they are too heavy it may be hard to get on and off the roost. Also, breeds like silkies seem to have a problem. If they can't fly then the roost needs to be closer together and lower to the ground than for normal birds. Also, as someone else mentioned ramps up to the higher roost helps. If they sleep on the floor they are sleeping in there own mess as well as having a higher chance of parasites to the whole flock. Wild birds bring louse and it only takes one to get it to spread quickly to the entire flock by sleeping in a pile. I think it may be too late to change their minds on sleeping arrangements but you can try. If you can't then keep a closer eye on them and check often for lice. I treat once a month on my 3 floor sleepers just to make sure. Everyone else in my flock likes the roost.