Hen wont sleep on roost!

[radar3321]

So real quick I have a 1 year old (as prev owner told me) and she will not sleep on the roost. Yesterday I transferred my two new/ older birds into the main coop and it seemed to go well just a couple pecks and chases but nothing to bad. Since the day i got them she has done this. I have gone out there after dark and calmly moved her to a roost only to have her awk-awk-awk and jump down and sleep on the floor. I have noticed she wont even rest on the roosts and stumps in the run. Is it possible she just wont do it? Thank you

 

[Top Rooster]

Is she puffed up or staying in nest boxes all day, she could be broody and she won’t sleep on roosts if she’s broody.

 

[radar3321]

She does seem to spend more time inside the coop then the others and have found her resting during the day in a nesting box!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

As a new arrival she may be well down the pecking order and if or when she tries to roost with your other birds there is a steep price that she must pay for her insolence. At no time in a chickens' day is the pecking order more important or more rigidly enforced that when the fhe flock is getting ready for beddy-by.

 

[radar3321]

As a new arrival she may be well down the pecking order and if or when she tries to roost with your other birds there is a steep price that she must pay for her insolence. At no time in a chickens' day is the pecking order more important or more rigidly enforced that when the fhe flock is getting ready for beddy-by.

I would agree with this normally but this situation is not normal. A) She is the oldest and biggest.4 of the 5 other birds she is with are only 12 weeks old. she is over a year. B) She has already shown the other birds she can be a bully. Grabbed and flung one of the smaller birds around by the tail feathers and they go no where near her now. C) When she was in her transfer coop (a-frame portable coop) after i first got her and her sister she did the same thing. and lastly do not think she is broody as i do not think she has laid more then maybe 1 egg in the two weeks i have had her.

 

[radar3321]

The biggest variable i do not know is how she was before I got her. Maybe she just never got a chance to roost before and just not going to happen. And we will see what happens cause after her relentless bullying and beating of the younger birds she has gone back to the portable a-frame tractor she was in. She has 4x8 feet of run space and 2x8 feet of coop to herself right next to the others. Will see what happens.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I don't think my broody hen, who hatched out five chicks a month ago, has laid an egg yet. So I wonder if your hen was broody when you got her and maybe it has something to do with that. I'm new to the whole broody hen business, so it's just a gander.

The stress of the move could also be a factor and the high heat of summer.

Gertrude does go up to the high nighttime roost now, along with her chicks. She's the biggest hen and has no problem getting up there. Is your girl stable on her legs? Have you seen her use her wings to fly?

With all the work I did building roosts and nesting boxes, the flock didn't like the change in their environment and took their sweet time getting used to the new setup. It's possible there's something about the roosts or the method for accessing them that isn't to her liking. It's also possible she'd prefer something lower or higher.

Check the bottom of her feet for any injuries, and consider installing a custom roost just for her, away from the other roosts and maybe a bit lower. If she's not showing any signs of a health problem, she may just need more time to figure out what she wants to do herself in the hen house at night.

 

[snow5164]

Is she puffed up or staying in nest boxes all day, she could be broody and she won’t sleep on roosts if she’s broody.

Won’t roost if broody? Is that true? When I break my broodys I give them a roost but no nesting box ... it’s always worked and they definitely roost

 

[anvia]

Some of our girls are ex battery hens and they very rarely roost or learn to roost - simply because it’s not something they’ve been provided with in their first year of life. If she’s new to you is it possible she wasn’t given a roost by her previous owner?
Ours snug up happily in the straw, it doesn’t seem to be detrimental to them - just ensure she has a space to sleep in where she won’t be pooped on from above!

 

[radar3321]

Some of our girls are ex battery hens and they very rarely roost or learn to roost - simply because it’s not something they’ve been provided with in their first year of life. If she’s new to you is it possible she wasn’t given a roost by her previous owner?
Ours snug up happily in the straw, it doesn’t seem to be detrimental to them - just ensure she has a space to sleep in where she won’t be pooped on from above!

This is kinda what i am leaning towards. See what comes of her. I did have to isolate her due to behavior to the others in the big coop. Today being in her own space she did seem to move around alot and do chicken type activities. Good thing is she does not seem to poop in the coop only run! so that is a positive!