Getting my chickens to roost

[Chick2day]

I have just gotten 14 month old chickens. They will not roost. They just sit on the ground. They also lay there eggs on the ground. How can I change this? I’m new to this. Thanks in advance

 

[nuthatched]

What conditions were they kept in before? You may need to set them on the roosts for a few nightd.

 

[Chick2day]

I’m not sure. Apparently they were raised in a crowded area that had no roost

 

[Chick2day]

What conditions were they kept in before? You may need to set them on the roosts for a few nightd.

I’m not sure. Apparently they were raised in a crowded area that had no roost

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Do you know their breeds? Are they Silkies or some other breed that can't fly? At 14 months they should not be commercial chickens going into the molt.

How long have you had them? If it is just a day or two then give them some time. What do your roosts look like? I'm mainly interested in how high they are but any other info might help.

What do your nests look like? How big are they and how high are they? Do you have fake eggs in them to show them where to lay? I use golf balls.

Photos showing nests and roosts could be very helpful.

 

[nuthatched]

I’m not sure. Apparently they were raised in a crowded area that had no roost

You're going to have to teach them

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You're going to have to teach them

Yes, when it's just dark go in and pick them up and set them on the roosts. Don't use any light or just use very little like a small flashlight, and turn it off as quickly as possible. If it's dark and they can't see, they'll stay put. They're not silkies, are they?

 

[Ahoragi]

This is good info. Ours are a little over 9 weeks and huddle in the corner at nights. We have a 3 tier roost setup, lowest being maybe a foot and half high. I tried to get them onto the roosting bar one night but I think my mistake was leaving the flashlight on. They flew off back into the chicken puddle. It's hard to do without any light because it's pitch black in that corner of the property. I will try again with minimal light.

They have a similar roost in the run and are all over that during the day so I think they know what to do to get up them.

 

[Ahoragi]

Both my wife and I tried again 2nite. Almost no light except the phone light facing down on a piece of wood. We set them all on the 2nd roost and they started falling and jumping off. We tried again and got a good chunk of them in the middle of the roost and on the lowest one so we popped out, shut the door, and went to see the garden. By this time it was almost fully dark and she said she could hear them falling off and going to the corner by the door where they always sleep.

 

[beany_bot]

I had to put my pullets on their roost for a month before they started doing it themselves!