How to get young chickens to roost?

[BantammChick]

Hi, so I have 16 new chickens (about 5 months old), and I've got them to roost in the outdoor run of the chicken coop, but now that it's getting colder they need to roost in the house. I think there is plenty of room in the house, but they won't roost in there, instead they roost in the run. I know they're not scared of them, because both groups free range together all day. So how do you get the younger birds to roost in the coop with the older ones?

 

[3KillerBs]

Exactly how big is the coop and how many chickens are there?

How many feet of roost do you have?

 

[BantammChick]

Exactly how big is the coop and how many chickens are there?

How many feet of roost do you have?

the coop itself is 12' x 10', I have 36 chickens but during the day they are all free range.
There is about 30 feet of roosting space inside the coop, and the outdoor run has 11 feet of roosting.

 

[3KillerBs]

the coop itself is 12' x 10', I have 36 chickens but during the day they are all free range.
There is about 30 feet of roosting space inside the coop, and the outdoor run has 11 feet of roosting.

So, at 4 square feet per adult, standard-sized hen, you're 6 chickens over* the recommended minimums in the coop for square footage of floor space and at 1 linear foot of roost per adult, standard size hen you're also 6 chickens over the recommended space.

Since integration requires extra space it's not surprising that the adults are defending their space against the intruders and keeping them outside. They probably COULD squish together on the roosts, but they don't want to.

*From a behavioral standpoint, the larger the coop/run the less space an individual chicken may need, because there is so much more overall space where it can get away from bullies and freely engage in such natural behaviors as perching, foraging, dust bathing, etc. without interference from other flock members. But there can still be issues with things like integration that take extra space.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, so I have 16 new chickens (about 5 months old), and I've got them to roost in the outdoor run of the chicken coop, but now that it's getting colder they need to roost in the house. I think there is plenty of room in the house, but they won't roost in there, instead they roost in the run. I know they're not scared of them, because both groups free range together all day. So how do you get the younger birds to roost in the coop with the older ones?

Not sure where you are located so I'm not sure what kind of weather you are looking at when you talk about colder. Someone recently thought in the 50's and 60's Fahrenheit was cold to chickens. With their down coat they are just getting comfortable in those temperatures. But that's not you, I just don't know what schedule you are working with.

With my flock it is normal that the younger avoid the older, especially as they are settling in at night. Usually they stay in separate groups during the day to though occasionally they may be able to mingle. Each group is different. It sounds like yours can share outdoor space without a lot of drama. That is a good place to be in this process.

My pullets tend to start sleeping on the main roosts with the adults about the time they start to lay. Yours should be really close if they are not already laying. Until they move to the main roosts they find other places to sleep. As long as it's not in my nests and is some place predator safe I don't care where they sleep. I put in a "juvenile roost", lower than the main roosts, higher than the nests, and horizontally separated from the main roosts by a few feet to give them a safe place to sleep that is not my nests.

Yours are in the habit of sleeping in the run. It probably doesn't have much to do with them being afraid of the others by now, it's just a habit. So you need to break that habit. The way I'd go about it would be to go down there after they have settled in to sleep at night and toss them in the coop. Lock them in there. If it is kind of dark they are usually fairly easy to catch. My typical brooder-raised broods are about 20 chicks. It takes a while to catch them and toss them in the coop but 16 is not overwhelming. You can manage it.

They might all get the message and put themselves to bed in the coop after one night. I had that happen once with about 17 chicks. I have had to put some in every night for three weeks before the last couple got the message. Usually it takes about a week but each group is different.

I don't bother placing them on the roosts when I put them in, mine aren't going to sleep on the main roosts with the adults anyway, mine are usually around 12 weeks old when I do this. They will find a place to sleep. That first night or two that might be on the coop floor. It doesn't hurt them.

I'm down there at daybreak the next morning when I do that to see how they are getting along. It's never been a problem for me but I think it is a prudent safety check.

Good luck on changing their habits.

 

[BantammChick]

So, at 4 square feet per adult, standard-sized hen, you're 6 chickens over* the recommended minimums in the coop for square footage of floor space and at 1 linear foot of roost per adult, standard size hen you're also 6 chickens over the recommended space.

Since integration requires extra space it's not surprising that the adults are defending their space against the intruders and keeping them outside. They probably COULD squish together on the roosts, but they don't want to.

*From a behavioral standpoint, the larger the coop/run the less space an individual chicken may need, because there is so much more overall space where it can get away from bullies and freely engage in such natural behaviors as perching, foraging, dust bathing, etc. without interference from other flock members. But there can still be issues with things like integration that take extra space.

Thanks for your advice, my chickens are free range all day from 6 in the morning to whenever they go up at night, but the problem is the roosting space, so I'll probably rehome a couple of my older hens, maybe a rooster, and put up a new roost.

 

[BantammChick]

Not sure where you are located so I'm not sure what kind of weather you are looking at when you talk about colder. Someone recently thought in the 50's and 60's Fahrenheit was cold to chickens. With their down coat they are just getting comfortable in those temperatures. But that's not you, I just don't know what schedule you are working with.

With my flock it is normal that the younger avoid the older, especially as they are settling in at night. Usually they stay in separate groups during the day to though occasionally they may be able to mingle. Each group is different. It sounds like yours can share outdoor space without a lot of drama. That is a good place to be in this process.

My pullets tend to start sleeping on the main roosts with the adults about the time they start to lay. Yours should be really close if they are not already laying. Until they move to the main roosts they find other places to sleep. As long as it's not in my nests and is some place predator safe I don't care where they sleep. I put in a "juvenile roost", lower than the main roosts, higher than the nests, and horizontally separated from the main roosts by a few feet to give them a safe place to sleep that is not my nests.

Yours are in the habit of sleeping in the run. It probably doesn't have much to do with them being afraid of the others by now, it's just a habit. So you need to break that habit. The way I'd go about it would be to go down there after they have settled in to sleep at night and toss them in the coop. Lock them in there. If it is kind of dark they are usually fairly easy to catch. My typical brooder-raised broods are about 20 chicks. It takes a while to catch them and toss them in the coop but 16 is not overwhelming. You can manage it.

They might all get the message and put themselves to bed in the coop after one night. I had that happen once with about 17 chicks. I have had to put some in every night for three weeks before the last couple got the message. Usually it takes about a week but each group is different.

I don't bother placing them on the roosts when I put them in, mine aren't going to sleep on the main roosts with the adults anyway, mine are usually around 12 weeks old when I do this. They will find a place to sleep. That first night or two that might be on the coop floor. It doesn't hurt them.

I'm down there at daybreak the next morning when I do that to see how they are getting along. It's never been a problem for me but I think it is a prudent safety check.

Good luck on changing their habits.

Thanks for your advice, it's not too cold rn, it's only getting down to lyk 48 Fahrenheit tonight, but I'm just going to have to get them in there before it starts getting really cold

they do stay in different groups during the day, the younger chickens go out in the woods behind the coop and the big chickens come out in the front yard.

I need to rehome some chickens and maybe have my dad install a new roost. I'll try locking them in the coop with the big birds, their coop is set up rn where they have a little door out to the run, I can lock that, I just felt bad about locking them in there when they don't like it.

I don't know if they're laying eggs rn or not, they don't go in the coop a lot so they could be laying eggs somewhere outside the coop.

 

[BantammChick]

So, at 4 square feet per adult, standard-sized hen, you're 6 chickens over* the recommended minimums in the coop for square footage of floor space and at 1 linear foot of roost per adult, standard size hen you're also 6 chickens over the recommended space.

Since integration requires extra space it's not surprising that the adults are defending their space against the intruders and keeping them outside. They probably COULD squish together on the roosts, but they don't want to.

*From a behavioral standpoint, the larger the coop/run the less space an individual chicken may need, because there is so much more overall space where it can get away from bullies and freely engage in such natural behaviors as perching, foraging, dust bathing, etc. without interference from other flock members. But there can still be issues with things like integration that take extra space.

srry I forgot to put this in the first post
10 of my chickens are bantams

 

[Mrs. K]

Just remove the roost in the run for a week. They will find the ones in the coop.

 

[BantammChick]

I put about 9 of the 16 in the coop last night, and 7 of them found roosting spots, but one of my standard cockerels and one bantam slept on the floor. I will try to get all 16 tonight