My chicks are nine weeks old. They've been sleeping in the pine shavings on the floor until recently, in part because of very cold nights and the location of the heat lamp. I just let them stay on the floor at night where they could huddle closely if necessary. This takes extra labor though, since I have to change the shavings in that spot on a daily basis.
Well, I decided to cage-off their normal floor spot, elevate the heat lamp, and let the girls start getting use to their "adult" roosting perches up above. The first night I did this, four of the sixteen went to the perches, and the rest found a new spot on the floor. When I discovered this, I moved those on the floor to up on the perches. I wanted them to be warm and get the effect of their whole-flock heat mass. Opps! There I was out in the dark (missing American Idol) with a flashlight and the glow of the red heat lamp bulb, watching as they had to find just the right spot on the perches. This went on for 15 minutes! Oh God...now everyone was rearranging! Twenty five minutes has elapsed. I apparently made a pecking order faux pas, big time. Many didn't like there place in the line-up, so they began disturbing the others by trying to step over other's backs to get into their idea of what was the place for them. In the mean time, one by one, three fell to the floor. Plunk! I picked them up and put them back. More moving and shuffling now. I gave up and put them all back on the floor. I went back inside and heard Simon Cowell saying something belittling to one of the contestants.
The next night (last night) I put more obstacles on the floor, and all but three went up to the roost. So, once again, I bit the bullet and ventured into the mysterious world of roosting orders! I put (gulp) the three up onto the perches. Well, they started getting picky again, so I turned off the red lamp and my flashlight and stood their in the dark and waited a minute. Soon I could make out that they were hunkering down and resting. I turned on the heat lamp and skidaddled out of their tout de suite! But...here's the funny part: I went back 30 minutes later to see how they were doing. OK, well, they were all in place sleeping (I peered through the window), but it's how around a third of them were sleeping, and I've never in my life seen anything like it. These chickens were sleeping on the perches with their heads hanging down (long necks) like limp noodles! Their heads hung down around 6 inches. They looked like shoes on a board with shoelaces dangling. Weird! Apparently they are still so use to the floor sleeping, that they've yet to get the hang of sleeping with their heads resting on their necks or backs! They looked like they'd tip over any moment!
Craziness I tell you! Craziness!
Well, I decided to cage-off their normal floor spot, elevate the heat lamp, and let the girls start getting use to their "adult" roosting perches up above. The first night I did this, four of the sixteen went to the perches, and the rest found a new spot on the floor. When I discovered this, I moved those on the floor to up on the perches. I wanted them to be warm and get the effect of their whole-flock heat mass. Opps! There I was out in the dark (missing American Idol) with a flashlight and the glow of the red heat lamp bulb, watching as they had to find just the right spot on the perches. This went on for 15 minutes! Oh God...now everyone was rearranging! Twenty five minutes has elapsed. I apparently made a pecking order faux pas, big time. Many didn't like there place in the line-up, so they began disturbing the others by trying to step over other's backs to get into their idea of what was the place for them. In the mean time, one by one, three fell to the floor. Plunk! I picked them up and put them back. More moving and shuffling now. I gave up and put them all back on the floor. I went back inside and heard Simon Cowell saying something belittling to one of the contestants.
The next night (last night) I put more obstacles on the floor, and all but three went up to the roost. So, once again, I bit the bullet and ventured into the mysterious world of roosting orders! I put (gulp) the three up onto the perches. Well, they started getting picky again, so I turned off the red lamp and my flashlight and stood their in the dark and waited a minute. Soon I could make out that they were hunkering down and resting. I turned on the heat lamp and skidaddled out of their tout de suite! But...here's the funny part: I went back 30 minutes later to see how they were doing. OK, well, they were all in place sleeping (I peered through the window), but it's how around a third of them were sleeping, and I've never in my life seen anything like it. These chickens were sleeping on the perches with their heads hanging down (long necks) like limp noodles! Their heads hung down around 6 inches. They looked like shoes on a board with shoelaces dangling. Weird! Apparently they are still so use to the floor sleeping, that they've yet to get the hang of sleeping with their heads resting on their necks or backs! They looked like they'd tip over any moment!
Craziness I tell you! Craziness!
