How do they get up to their roost?

[ShockValue]

So the chickens have been in the coop for about a week now. They are 2 months old (roughly).


I've been watching them, and they seem to have no desire (or understanding?) on how to use their ladders that I made for them to get up to the roost. Same with coming down. They just jump and flap like mad and make a crash landing in the sand. Watching them go up is like watching a Parkour tournament. Jumping from the water bucket to any blocking on the wall they can grab hold of and them up to the roost.

Works OK for now, but I've got large breed girls and I worry that eventually this will not be an option or that they might hurt themselves.


Will they figure it out once jumping up become difficult, do I need to teach them, or are their ladders not to their liking?

 

[Judy]

If they don't figure your ladders out, I think you probably need to lower the roost. Mine is 30" and they easily flap and jump up as well as down -- but they have about 6' or more sideways clearance, so they can fly outward as well as down. Large fowl do sometimes injure themselves getting up and down -- the heavier, the more likely. Some can just move straight up and down much more easily than others.

 

[iwiw60]

Something else might be contributing to your problem that I notice in your pics....you are using a round "dowel" of sorts..possibly a closet rod?? If so I would highly recommend ditching that and use a 2 x 4 "flat side UP" for them. Why? Because it gives them a more sure-footed feeling, and in the winter they will squat down over their feet keeping them warmer. Just FYI and only MHO.

 

[ShockValue]

It's a 1x4 with the flat side up with a 2x2 attached to the bottom to firm it up. They seem to like their roost, as they all sleep there. It's just the getting up and down that I'm concerned with.

My worry about lowering the roost is that they would decide to go into the nest boxes to sleep.

 

[iwiw60]

How many chickens in the coop?

 

[Irishhenman]

I would highly recommend ditching that and use a 2 x 4 "flat side UP" for them. Why? in the winter they will squat down over their feet keeping them warmer.

I am not trying to argue, but this is a common myth about 2x4 roosts. Chickens will cover their feet on any roost.

 

[ShockValue]

5 Hens and 1 Rooster, the roost is 8 feet wide.

 

[cafarmgirl]

They may take to the ladder more as they get older. When mine are young and first move out to their coop they don't bother with the ladder for quite a while, they just easily fly up and down. As they get older and bigger then they seem to decide the ladder is an easier way and they file up and down in a very orderly fashion lol.