Do cockerels roost?

[laylerschicks]

Do cockerels or roosters roost? I know it in the name roost-er but my cockerel doesn't roost with the girls... is that normal?

 

[SilverBirds]

Both genders should be roosting. If he is still young he may not have figured out how to yet. Try putting him on the roost every night until he gets the hang of it.

 

[WallyG74]

every night i put all of them on it since they are newish and most of them stay except for him. he always sleeps on the bottom next to the door. i dont think its an issue of them not excepting him, its just seems like he wants out the door so he just sleeps there...

I have a little roo like this as well. He likes the corner over the nest boxes instead of the roost. I had a talk with him last night about this very subject. He just don’t seem to care about what I have to say.

 

[Missyschix13]

hes only about 6 weeks but the others have already kinda gotten the hang of it but he just wont

It's takes them some time to get used to roosting instead of sleeping on the floor. At least it did for mine. I put some lower roosting bars in the coop initially and I think that helped until he figured it out. Mine were delayed being out in their coop due to the construction of their run. So they were stuck in the brooder longer than I would have liked. But given time they all figured it out. Once I saw they were all up on the bar, I took the smaller bars out to give them more room. He's still pretty young. I would just give it a little more time.

 

[aart]

hes only about 6 weeks but the others have already kinda gotten the hang of it but he just wont

Then it's about age rather than gender.
Just be patient.

 

[RebelEgger]

My young group of 10 (5 pullets/5 boys) were sleeping huddled in the corner behind their feeder, I tried putting them on their roost each night. As soon as the coop door was closed I would hear them all jump down so I gave up. They are roughly 13 weeks old right now, and my husband locked them up one night and said they were all on the roost, and they have each night since.

So don't worry, he will get the hang of it, he's just not ready yet!

 

[Ridgerunner]

My brooder raised chicks often do not sleep on the roosts at night until they are 10 to 12 weeks of age. I've had some start just after 5 weeks, some wait until longer, but 10 to 12 is close to average for most. When they are ready they figure it out. Until they do they tend to sleep on the floor although they may play on the roosts during the day. It's not that they can't sleep up there, they just don't want to.

From some of the posts on this forum you can get the idea that it is important that they start roosting immediately. For some humans it may be. I prefer to let my chicks figure it out on their own when they are ready. Less stressful to me and probably to them.

 

[nuthatched]

They might not accept him. But yes, it's natural instinct for them to roost.

 

[laylerschicks]

My rooster is roughly 16 weeks and he roosts with his Ladies every night. But he didn't initially. He was the last one to figure it out. The girls would be on the bar and he would dig himself a whole in the corner. Gave him another week and he figured it out. Most nights he's one of the first ones up there and the girls roost around him. How old is your roo?

hes only about 6 weeks but the others have already kinda gotten the hang of it but he just wont

 

[cincyfarmgirl]

Do cockerels or roosters roost? I know it in the name roost-er but my cockerel doesn't roost with the girls... is that normal?

My cockerel roosts. He’s a big Brahma and he roosts right along with the hens.