Hard lesson

[RebelChief]

So when the coop was built the builder left some open spaces that I wasn't aware of. The chicks love to fly to the highest place in the coop to sleep which is a ledge at the top where the roof meets the walls. One night one of them managed to squeeze in a small space and got herself wedged up in the highest peak of the roof corner. I was worried she might get caught on a nail because I did notice some poking out where they had used really long nails and they went all the way through the wall and they hadn't smashed them down or cut them. I had to call the contractor to come and get the bird out. They ended up having to remove the soffit and a couple trim boards to get her from the outside.

Lesson learned. I went and picked up a couple rolls of window screen and screened the entire top of the cop so they can't get up there. Now they get on the ledges over the windows and along the walls but they are safe and there's no where to go other than the ledge.

Tell me why I built roosts for them to sleep on?

 

[CatWhisperer]

Because some day they may come to appreciate what a wonderful home you had built for them and use them. Merry Christmas!

 

[RebelChief]

Because some day they may come to appreciate what a wonderful home you had built for them and use them. Merry Christmas!

I hope so

Merry Christmas to you too.

 

[adirondak5]

My birds didn't use the roosts in my coop for the first 6 weeks they were in there . Then all of a sudden one started , the next night 4 were up on the roost and the following night all 6 were up on the roost . Now as soon as they go in for the night they head right up to roost . Takes them some time to figure things out but once they do the rest follow along quickly . Your birds will figure it out soon .

 

[bruceha2000]

Tell me why I built roosts for them to sleep on?

Because they like to sleep as high as they can get and in most coops that would be the roosts! I've read of chickens roosting in the upper beams of the barn.

 

[RebelChief]

Thanks all. I don't care where they sleep as long as they don't cram themselves into any more unsafe locations. Thankfully the ledges are over the poop boxes so clean up is easy.

 

[jthornton]

Birds in general roost in trees and the higher the better for protection from predators.

JT

 

[RebelChief]

Birds in general roost in trees and the higher the better for protection from predators.

JT

That makes total sense...I just wasn't expecting to have to disassemble the coop to rescue the silly thing.

 

[21hens-incharge]

How big are these ledges?
How old are your birds?
Are they bantams?

Silly birds. I had a few very young pullets trying to roost AWAY from the adults. Yes they tried for the framing of the coop. One or two would succeed but once they got bigger they quit being so silly.

 

[RebelChief]

How big are these ledges?
How old are your birds?
Are they bantams?

Silly birds. I had a few very young pullets trying to roost AWAY from the adults. Yes they tried for the framing of the coop. One or two would succeed but once they got bigger they quit being so silly.

They are almost 6 weeks old. Three easter eggers, three black marans and 2 olive eggers. I really don't care where they sleep....I just don't want them to get stuck or hurt. I think I have solved the problem. . One ledge is the flat side of a 2x4. The other one is a 1x4, with the flat side out and a nice big space behind it...I do need to put a board in where they are sleeping over the window because there's an open space behind it and they are pooping in there. Going to fix that today.