Hello, new here and new to chickens.

[StinkyAcres]

You can see here. I put them all up after they had taken themselves to the coop for the night (but still a bit light out). One will jump down, then another, then finally the sussex. And alkl will just cram into the corner. 10 days now! You can see the first BO to jump down seems to know shes meant to be up, trying to get on the 6 inch bar, but doesnt even seem to be able to do that! it's like they don't know they can even hop! But that said, why are they actively jumping down? The only way I get them to stay up all night is if I put them up when it's proper dark. Then they settle and stay up.

Very odd. It must be how they were raised. I put a perch in my chick brooder and all my very young chicks have been hopping up and sitting on it.

 

[ChaosMom]

You can see here. I put them all up after they had taken themselves to the coop for the night (but still a bit light out). One will jump down, then another, then finally the sussex. And alkl will just cram into the corner. 10 days now! You can see the first BO to jump down seems to know shes meant to be up, trying to get on the 6 inch bar, but doesnt even seem to be able to do that! it's like they don't know they can even hop! But that said, why are they actively jumping down? The only way I get them to stay up all night is if I put them up when it's proper dark. Then they settle and stay up.

Does that first BO still have her head attached? Because she's running around like a chicken with…

You must have the patience of a saint. This would drive me crazy!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yeah they go in and out the coop at the right time.

That's the main and most important part - that they go in at dusk for safety. Roosting is a bonus and some flocks take longer to do it, especially if there aren't existing older birds to show them how.

The only way I get them to stay up all night is if I put them up when it's proper dark.

That's expected - if you are manually putting them on the roost it should be done after it's dark, that's why they're jumping off.

 

[beany_bot]

Well I'm lost at what to do now. It's been two weeks of putting them on their roosts. Tried just leaving them last night. They just won't go up on their own. Not on the lower bar not on the higher bar. No Interest at all. They just go in the corner.

The problem is they are sleeping in their own poo down there!

 

[KyCoop]

OK the next thing to try is building a cuddle box ON the roost bar. You can do it with cardboard. I think this will make them feel safer on the roost and they won't be sitting in poop.

But here's the thing. How is the Sussex doing? I think she needs a friend that will roost with her.

 

[beany_bot]

Well, we have now had our Hens for 1 month. It's been a lot of fun but I'm not going to lie also very frustrating.

Issues outstanding.

Orpingtons will not roost on their own. they always require me to come in and shoo them onto the ramp, only then they will go up to the bar and roost.

This is annoying obviously but is now becoming an even bigger problem, because they now expect me to come and put them to bed everynight, you can see them waiting for me at the gate to their run come dusk. last night I couldn't put them to bed due to other commitments and guess what. I found them outside the coop, in their run, trying to sleep on the floor well after dark. So they seemingly expect me to come and put them to bed now! but if I dont do that they wont go on their roost. Very frustrating and very laborious.

Second thing, they wont use their dust bath. It's a good size, its dry, it has DE and sand and dry soil in it. Looks great!. Nah they would rather roll about in their own poo and mud. Again, really frustrating.

No sign of any egg behaviour from either the Orps or the Sussex. The sussex is looking like a proper hen now and must be 24 weeks old+. None of them laying.

And when they do, I'm willing to bet they don't lay in their nesting boxes. I've popped a few fake eggs in the nesting boxes but I've never seen them so much as glance in the nesting boxes. They dig holes in the coop sandust and sometimes lie there, willing to bet they lay their eggs there...

So after a month of me trying everything, moving things around, changing layouts, really trying my hardest:

Still wont roost
Wont dust bath
Wont lay / not even looking at nesting boxes / never been in them.

To be honest I wont be buying from that breeder again. While they are very nice looking and healthy hens, they just don't know how to be hens if that makes sense. They have clearly never had access to a roost bar before coming to me, she said they had never even been outside even and they are really really timid still. As a family we interact with them at least 10 times a day, giving them tid bits and meal worms. They are getting a little better but all still very very timid.

 

[StinkyAcres]

They hadn't even been outside??!!! No wonder! You are doing all that you can. It is clearly the fault of the breeder that you ended up with chickens that don't know how to be chickens.

They are still on the younger side to be laying. Do you have a calcium supplement ready for them when they need it?

 

[beany_bot]

They hadn't even been outside??!!! No wonder! You are doing all that you can. It is clearly the fault of the breeder that you ended up with chickens that don't know how to be chickens.

They are still on the younger side to be laying. Do you have a calcium supplement ready for them when they need it?

They are on layers feed and they have ad-lib oyster shell.