Getting pullets to sleep on the roosting bar?

[ChirpyChicks1]

Oh my, so many answers! I read through each and everyone, and the common consensus is to block off the nesting box. They are the only ones in the coop. And it is a rather small coop, with only 1 roosting bar about 2 feet off the ground, with 4 attached nesting boxes, so I can't take those out. But, I will be blocking off the boxes until laying age or until they learn to sleep on the roosting bar- I will let you all know how this goes! Thanks so much again, everyone, for all the replies!

ETA: Ah, I see why this got so many replies- it's on the main carousel! Woop woop for being featured!

Good luck! I'm looking forward to your update

 

[Joan71]

Oh, they don't? Sorry if I seemed a bit snotty cx. I'm going to put stuff in the nesting boxes, but they are... 9 weeks old. I saw two of them on the roosting bar this morning when I walked in, just after I made this thread- I have no clue if they just jumped up or if they slept. But, it was one that usually will hop up, and then one of the ones I had never seen up there.

Hi, if your chicks are only 9 weeks old, check and see how high your roost is from the floor. In the beginning, I fixed my roost so they could hop up on it. then as they got bigger and I moved them to a larger area, I raised their roost to accommodate their growth (height). I didn't have nesting boxes put in until they started laying. Check to see the size of the roost (that it is not to large around for them to grasp comfortably. I hope this may give you some idea. If you can't remove the nesting boxes, perhaps you can cover the fronts so they won't be able to go in the nest. Good luck with your girls.

 

[AussieHens96]

Yep all of our girls, except one which is under a year, are over a year, and sleep in the box. Eh, it's not a big fuss but it does get messy so I clean them out every couple days. Two minute job and the stuff gets thrown on the garden beds, great fertiliser

 

[Mike48]

I blocked the nesting boxes as they head into the coop for the night. Checked in couple of hours, they were all roosting, and opened the nesting boxes up. Try it for a few nights. Worked for me. Animals are habitual. Mine were young and still afraid of the older chickens and headed to the nesting boxes for safety.

 

[Betsy57]

I have 3 that always sleep crammed togethetr on the lid of the feed can. Can't keep them off it. Now I am having one or two sleep with their butts in the nest facing out. So I have poop to clean every morning too. Just have to either close the boxes off and take the can out or live with it. I just live with it. Sounds like you may not need that many nest boxes if you have that few of chicks. They each don't need one. I started mine young with small roosts and worked them up in height. I had to close up the rafters in my coop because they were roosting up in the rafters and were only about 2 months old and I was afraid they'd hurt themselves flying down. Probably wouldn't have but I wanted to be sure. It always surprises me what those birds can do. Good luck with the exciting life with chickens.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Make sure the roost is higher than the nest box. They will instinctively go for the highest roost.

 

[TERRY4]

Clean all the nest boxes and try clean straw in them, and ADD a golf ball in each nest! They may get the idea. Keep doing it over and over. I thought mine would never roost and now they're up on the roosts before dark, waiting for me to come shut the chicken door for the night.

 

[44Wolves]

Last night was a bit late for me to do much with them, but I put a soccer ball in each nest. It didn't seem to frighten them at all, but at least they could not go in. I let them be for 5 minutes, came out, and they were all lined up at the door. There's a small piece of a 24 there to prevent wood shavings from falling out, and they were all on it. I guess that counts as some sort of roosting? xD I am going to add another lower roost at about the same height as the top of the nesting boxes (the other one is about a foot taller than that/2 feet tall)

 

[TERRY4]

Last night was a bit late for me to do much with them, but I put a soccer ball in each nest. It didn't seem to frighten them at all, but at least they could not go in. I let them be for 5 minutes, came out, and they were all lined up at the door. There's a small piece of a 24 there to prevent wood shavings from falling out, and they were all on it. I guess that counts as some sort of roosting? xD I am going to add another lower roost at about the same height as the top of the nesting boxes (the other one is about a foot taller than that/2 feet tall)

If you'd just try what I said {above}, you may get better results. Scaring them out of the nests may give you problems later on. When I stopped worrying about my girls doing as I want them to do, they decided to do it. Just don't bother them and see. Give it time!

And please get those soccer balls out of there! Lol..

 

[TERRY4]

How old are they now?