Hens dont roost

[Okiebirds]

Not worried, but these girls are our first. I thought chickens were suppose to roost thats all.

If i put them on the roost, wait untill they are settled down or when they are still restless?

 

[BooBear]

Sometimes if you put one on the roost and the others follow suit. Chickens tend to do everything as a flock. They are like herd animals in this regard. What scares one scares all. What looks like fun to one will eventually be fun to all. Just pick out one of em to be the lead bird. Or you could place all of them up there and see how they react.

Chickens are creatures of habit and hate having their routine changed on them. So if you place them on the roost everyday it will become a habit to them to be on the roosts; therefore, they will begin to roost on their own.

Note: some heavier breeds tend to not want to get up on high roosts which is ok if they prefer a lower, wider roost as it can be hard on their joints when they hop down from a higher roost.

Since I got back into chickens it is fun to watch how each group I raise is a little bit different from the other. The breeds play into this along with individual personalities.
It is ok if they sleep on the floor, just be mindful that they poop where they sleep. I clean the sleep areas every morning to keep the coop tidy and stink free.
All of the Wyandottes roost on the highest roost and the Silkies like to sleep on the opposite end of the coop on the floor. The 4 week olds in the brooder hutch (mutt chickies) are split in their arrangement. Half will sleep on the roost and half on the floor. So it does vary a bit.

 

[sherrybwc]

We built a ladder-type roost for our coop that's hinged onto the wall at the top so we can life it out of the way when needed. It took my flock about two weeks before they all started roosting.