Is my Jersey Giant roo gonna hurt himself?

[BarkerChickens]

We have 2 levels for the roosts. One at ~2 ft and the other at ~3.5-4 ft. This is because we have Jersey Giants and they are generally to heavy for the top roost. Well, my JG roo is on the top roost tonight!

I don't want to move him if he is going to be ok, but I worry that he is gonna hurt himself getting down in the morning. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[BarkerChickens]

No suggestions?

Well, maybe I will have DH move him just to be safe. He is WAY to big for me to grab!

 

[kcfuerst]

It is possible that a heavy bird can hurt themselves if they land hard on their feet/legs; bumblefoot is the first thing that comes to my mind. You may be able to move him, but he's got a chicken brain of his own and will likely go where he wants even if you move him.

I have a couple of big black sexlinks, and one of them already has the beginning signs of bumblefoot that I will have to take care of this weekend. My perches are all the same height, about 4' from the floor with lots of shavings. All 9 of my birds are seven months old and the sexlinks outweigh all my other birds by at least 1.5 lbs.

BTW, I am in northern, CA but have a very good friend who has lived in Hesperia forever! She loves chickens and has collected chicken everything for a lot of years.....except her hubby won't let her have REAL ones.

 

[chicknjane]

I noticed you didn't get a response. I can't help you with your question because I'm a newbie and not familiar with Jersey Giants other than knowing I want some. That said, don't be discouraged and ask your question again, sometimes people only look at those posts shown on the home page and your post could have gotten missed. Try posting again. I'm sure you'll get a better response than this one.

Good Luck, and I hope your roo doesn't hurt himself, though it he can get up I'm sure he'll be able to get down okay.

 

[NellaBean]

My Jersey Giant Roo is always on the top roost....I think it is about 3.5 feet tall? maybe 4 feet? hard to say. He often jumps down from this height and yes, it is a big shaking boom when he hits the ground. I would just keep extra deep shavings and make a ramp or steps for him to go up and down. As to whether he uses it or not.....

Mine has yet to hurt himself but it is an elevated plywood floor (versus solid ground) that will flex a bit and I do keep deep shavings. He has the option of using the steps to go up and down and he does definitely use it to go up. Not sure about going down. Just whatever floats his boat that day.....

 

[Chew593]

In a previous post I found it says that Jerseys shouldn't have access to roosts over 2 ft high because of their weight. If the roosts in your coop are higher then that you may want to consider lowering all the roosts. Chickens will automatically try to get to the highest possible roost, and won't take the dismount into consideration if it means their safety for the night. Good Luck!

 

[BarkerChickens]

Quote:
That's why I am asking, since I had read that too. That is why we have the two roosts. Before this evening, he always stayed on the bottom roost. But, if he tries to get to the top roost again, I will have to change the roosts to all be 2 feet. It just makes cleaning so difficult if ALL of the roosts are that low!

 

[BarkerChickens]

Quote:
I like the ramp idea too! He's a big boy and awfully clumsy, so I don't trust him to get off the top roost even with the DLM (which we use). I had DH move him to the bottom roost, then we shut off the light immediately so he couldn't see to get on the top roost again (we checked to ensure he stayed put).

Either way, I think a roost revamp is in order.

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Quote:
What is bumblefoot? Educate me plz.

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Cockadoodledon't :

Quote:
What is bumblefoot? Educate me plz.

Disregard.....looked it up. Thanks!​