Kicking them out of the brooder

[ridgefire]

The way I brooded my chicks this year is I took one corner of their coop and put a fence across so they can see each other but cant touch each other. That way I dont have the mess in my house and they are used to seeing each other.

Well I have 3 hens that were bought 3 weeks earlier than my shipment of birds.......evil tractor supply.

These hens are getting huge, too big to be in with their younger counter parts. I tried putting them up on the roosts with the big girls but they just jumped back down and went to the fence. I decided to be mean and not open the gate so they could get in with the younger birds. Hoping they would go back to the roosts with the big girls. But no I just snuck out there and checked on them, there is the three of them in a ball next to the gate by the little ones. How am I going to break them of sleeping in the brooder with the others and get them on the roosts?

 

[pixie74943]

Give it time. Sneak in there every night after they're asleep and put them back up on the roost.

And if that doesn't work, when the little ones grow up, they'll probably all move onto the roost together.

I like your brooder set up btw. Sounds like the whole integration process will be sooooo much easier now

 

[Ridgerunner]

You don't say how old the 3 hens are.

Chickens usually don't like change. They are used to sleeping on the floor and want to continue what they have been doing. Maybe they think "I've been doing it this way and nothing has killed me, so it is safe. I want to stay safe."

If it is creating a problem for you, you can go into the coop after they are all asleep and with minimal light and fuss, put them on the roosts. Since they are the newcomers and probably lower on the pecking order, do not put them on the higher roosts or too close to the other chickens already roosting. They might get knocked off. There can be pecking order issues concerning where they roost.

Or you can just wait and see if they learn to roost after watching the other chickens. It just may take them a while to gain the confidence to try.