Hens will not roost in the hen house at night!

[rosemarythyme]

There are two 3-4ft roosts and since they were first released into their forever coop some have always slept on top of the nesting boxes, so there's that space too. I find there to be plenty of space for 12 hens to sleep in there at night.

You need more roost space, for one. Sure, they can try to squeeze in, but seems that some of them don't want to or aren't allowed to, and now would rather go elsewhere to sleep. 12 hens should have roughly 12' available, to allow them to freely get up and down, and I would not count/encourage them to sleep on top of nest boxes as that leads to soiled nests.

In your 4th photo with the roosts... is that photo oriented correctly with the chicken wire overhead? The bars there are awfully close to the wall if that's the case. Is there at least 12" between the bar and the wall? Birds may not want to use roosts that cause their faces or tails to be smashed against a wall.

 

[benevolent_leonela]

You need more roost space, for one. Sure, they can try to squeeze in, but seems that some of them don't want to or aren't allowed to, and now would rather go elsewhere to sleep. 12 hens should have roughly 12' available, to allow them to freely get up and down, and I would not count/encourage them to sleep on top of nest boxes as that leads to soiled nests.

In your 4th photo with the roosts... is that photo oriented correctly with the chicken wire overhead? The bars there are awfully close to the wall if that's the case. Is there at least 12" between the bar and the wall? Birds may not want to use roosts that cause their faces or tails to be smashed against a wall.

Yes, the wired gaps are overhead of the roosts in that photo.
I do agree, that the roots are close to each other and to be honest I didn't really like how the hen house was constructed entirely. But husband was the brains behind the building of a majority of construction/plans and he had some things he wanted his way. I have some ideas for more roosting space I want to put into action and hope that the ladies find it favorable to sleep in there again. It's just odd to me that all of a sudden they stopped roosting in there at night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes, the wired gaps are overhead of the roosts in that photo.
I do agree, that the roots are close to each other and to be honest I didn't really like how the hen house was constructed entirely. But husband was the brains behind the building of a majority of construction/plans and he had some things he wanted his way. I have some ideas for more roosting space I want to put into action and hope that the ladies find it favorable to sleep in there again. It's just odd to me that all of a sudden they stopped roosting in there at night.

Have you checked for roost mites as well?

As far as making roosts, I made the ones for our coop, so it's not too tough to do if you have access to some solid scrap wood, a saw and some screws. But definitely aim for the following minimums: 12" roost space per bird, placed 12" from the wall, and spaced at least 14-16" apart from another roost.

 

[TJAnonymous]

About a decade ago, my chickens were attacked by a predator in their coop. From that point forward, they REFUSED to stay in that coop. They would fly high up into the trees where we couldn't reach them to avoid going into the coop.

Fast forward to now.... Different house, different coop. I have some young pullets who aren't very sharp. They frequently don't want to go into the coop at night with the adults....probably because the adults will pick at them, if/when there is enough light to see. I had to routinely purposely pick them all up and manually put them in the coop at night for several weeks. Now they go in but are usually the last ones in. I had to set the timer on my automatic chicken door to close a little after dusk just for the purpose of making sure these stragglers can get in on time.

 

[benevolent_leonela]

Have you checked for roost mites as well?

As far as making roosts, I made the ones for our coop, so it's not too tough to do if you have access to some solid scrap wood, a saw and some screws. But definitely aim for the following minimums: 12" roost space per bird, placed 12" from the wall, and spaced at least 14-16" apart from another roost.

I did have a mite problem a little over a month ago but I was certain I solved the problem with a bangin' treatment with DE ! I mean I covered EVERYTHING and every hen. I didn't consider that possibility though. I will give the girls and the coop a good look over tomorrow. Are roost mites the creepy crawlies that come out at night? Like, they don't live on the chickens themselves but hide in cracks of the coop itself.

Thank you so much for your advice and the time you have given to chat !! Sincerely appreciated

 

[rosemarythyme]

I did have a mite problem a little over a month ago but I was certain I solved the problem with a bangin' treatment with DE ! I mean I covered EVERYTHING and every hen. I didn't consider that possibility though. I will give the girls and the coop a good look over tomorrow. Are roost mites the creepy crawlies that come out at night? Like, they don't live on the chickens themselves but hide in cracks of the coop itself.

Yes - easiest way to check for roost mites is to take a paper towel and run it under the roost at night. If you see tiny red smears, those are mites.

I don't use DE for mites. If you see evidence of mites, I would clean out the coop, use permethrin on every nook and cranny you can reach, and as a caution dust the girls thoroughly as well. Then re-treat in 4-7 days to get any new hatches.

 

[592784]

When our birds won't roost at night it's for this reason, I had to relocate 6 of them last year..

Ugh I hate snakes

 

[LynleyP]

I suppose my girls will sleep where they feel comfortable and they have an option to go somewhere that is warmer as they please! It is rather frustratingbut it allows me to learn as a new chicken owner that chickens will do what they feel is comfortable for them and I need not to worry so much and try so hard!

Hard when everything you read says that chickens should roost at night and not sleep on the ground, pooping as they sleep.
I go out each night as a new chook owner to put them on the roost. My girls x 3 are approx 5 months old. I live in Taupo, New Zealand. Every night they're on the ground huddled together and they get upset when I move then which makes me feel bad some say keep moving while others say leave them. It's so had to make decisions when advice is so varied.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

@LynleyP Do your chickens stay on the roost, after you put them there at night or do they go back to the ground to sleep?
If they stay on the roost, I would continue to place them there after dark, perhaps with a small treat from your hand. Hopefully they will find it more comfortable in time to sleep on the roost and not in their own poop. Good Luck

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hard when everything you read says that chickens should roost at night and not sleep on the ground, pooping as they sleep.
I go out each night as a new chook owner to put them on the roost. My girls x 3 are approx 5 months old. I live in Taupo, New Zealand. Every night they're on the ground huddled together and they get upset when I move then which makes me feel bad some say keep moving while others say leave them. It's so had to make decisions when advice is so varied.

At 5 months, they may not be mature enough to want to go to roost.
I've had some groups start roosting at two months and some not till 6 months or later.