Originally Posted by racinchickins 
Ok. I have a question for everyone.
When your chicks bed down for the night, does it sound like a wrestling cage match? You'd think someone was dying in there!
I look in and half of them are all trying to not only cram onto one roost (I have three, all the same height), but they fight over who gets to be in the middle. This is all accompanied by loud clucks and bloodcurdling squawks. Then my dominant hen tries to decapitate anyone who tries to roost within a foot of her. I also have a group of 5 that refuse to roost, and they fight to be on the bottom of the pile in the corner by the door.
Several times I've rushed out to the coop prepared to do battle with whatever is killing them, I open the door, and they all just look at me like 'What are you doing out here, don't you know it's dark?'
I've also noticed that when the match ends, everyone pretty much ends up in the exact same spot night after night. And this is with 30 birds, so I know it isn't a coincidence.
I know I'm not overcrowding them, heck there is a whole roost and half of another that nobody uses at night.
Does anyone else experience this? Is this just normal life for a flock?
YES! I have mentioned this before, but no one commiserated with me so I figured I must have just failed as a chicken mother. EVERY night for over a year now, my five hens have a big ruckus over who is perching where, etc. etc. I have two parallel perches, but they don't think parallel means equal. MY RIR flies to the top rafter where there is barely enough room for her to fit. Then she leans over and shrieks at the rest. My poor EE gets pecked by the rest, so she likes to get next to my Jersey Giant so she can tuck her head under Jersey's breast to protect herself. This presses Jersey up against the wall and almost knocks her off, so she sounds off like a fog horn. My SLW sounds like a trumpet. I have tried reasoning with them, assigning seats, telling stories, singing lullabies, and turning on a fan to drown them out. This lasts around 10 mins. every single night. I ran across this hilarious "bedtime" video, "As the Egg Turns" Hen House Drama Black Copper Marans Chickens." You have to watch it until the end. I can't believe that goes on every night!
Ok. I have a question for everyone.
When your chicks bed down for the night, does it sound like a wrestling cage match? You'd think someone was dying in there!
I look in and half of them are all trying to not only cram onto one roost (I have three, all the same height), but they fight over who gets to be in the middle. This is all accompanied by loud clucks and bloodcurdling squawks. Then my dominant hen tries to decapitate anyone who tries to roost within a foot of her. I also have a group of 5 that refuse to roost, and they fight to be on the bottom of the pile in the corner by the door.
Several times I've rushed out to the coop prepared to do battle with whatever is killing them, I open the door, and they all just look at me like 'What are you doing out here, don't you know it's dark?'
I've also noticed that when the match ends, everyone pretty much ends up in the exact same spot night after night. And this is with 30 birds, so I know it isn't a coincidence.
I know I'm not overcrowding them, heck there is a whole roost and half of another that nobody uses at night.
Does anyone else experience this? Is this just normal life for a flock?
YES! I have mentioned this before, but no one commiserated with me so I figured I must have just failed as a chicken mother. EVERY night for over a year now, my five hens have a big ruckus over who is perching where, etc. etc. I have two parallel perches, but they don't think parallel means equal. MY RIR flies to the top rafter where there is barely enough room for her to fit. Then she leans over and shrieks at the rest. My poor EE gets pecked by the rest, so she likes to get next to my Jersey Giant so she can tuck her head under Jersey's breast to protect herself. This presses Jersey up against the wall and almost knocks her off, so she sounds off like a fog horn. My SLW sounds like a trumpet. I have tried reasoning with them, assigning seats, telling stories, singing lullabies, and turning on a fan to drown them out. This lasts around 10 mins. every single night. I ran across this hilarious "bedtime" video, "As the Egg Turns" Hen House Drama Black Copper Marans Chickens." You have to watch it until the end. I can't believe that goes on every night!
