Is there a trick to getting baby chicks to roost?

[Gainesvillechickenlover]

I was curious. We have 5 chicks around 7 weeks. They are in the pen most of day and at night I put them in the hen house. They will not roost they keep jumping back to the floor. Will they eventually get it? Just curious.

 

[ebaribault]

Mine have been roosting since they were 2 weeks old.
I built a mini roost for them.
They will get the hang of it after a while.

Good luck

 

[mtnchicks]

I agree, they will eventually. It is a natural instinct, and they will do it when they are ready. I know there are a few exceptions, and I have a frizzled cochin rooster that never roosts, he sleeps on the floor, but it doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother him! I have a "ladder" with very close rungs that I made so that my Silkies could get up to roost since they can't fly well, and they all figured it out eventually.

 

[NYREDS]

Don't try to force them to roost. Roosting before the keel bone has hardened can cause deformities. They'll roost when they're ready.

 

[Chamelle]

Mine are 2 weeks, and when hubby made them a larger brooder, he made several mini-roosts for them. The lowest and longest one is only a few inches off the floor. Just now I walked by and there were TEN chicks lined up on the roost. They like the higher ones too... the highest is about 6 inches high.

Maybe they need to get used to the idea of something a little lower to the ground before they want to jump up to the big-girl roost? (assuming that your roosts are at all high)

 

[jnjross]

mine have a broom stick 10in high in the day pen