Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[Beekissed]

I need some help, ya'll. I haven't posted on here in a while, but this seems to be a thread with LOTS of very knowledgeable chicken-keepers on it. I have about 15 Easter Egger and Buff hens who are not roosting properly. They are 16 weeks old. Some of them roost on the actual roosts, but the others like to gather on the platform above the nesting boxes. I am in the process of getting rid of some RIR, so it is true that the roosts are a LITTLE crowded until I do so. Still, it's frustrating because there are two whole roosting bars that are totally empty when I go down at dusk, and like 10 of them pooping into the nests! I have patiently moved them to the roosts time and time again, and they just seem to not want to get the idea. Short of totally blocking off the platform, does anyone have any other ideas to get these stubborn ladies to do what I want? I even put up a new roost, but the RIR just spread out onto it!

I find the problem usually becomes evident if we can see a pic or two of the interior of the coop, including nest boxes and roost configuration....can't really give good advice unless we can see what you see. Blocking the platform may be the only way but then they'd just move to the nest boxes. The problem usually lies in older birds not letting the younger birds on the same level or even near the same level of roosting, so if they can reach any roost bar where the youngsters are trying to roost, they will peck them down off that perch.

Got any pics?

 

[AllynTal]

I'm getting mine to move to the roosts. Up until this weekend, they'd all pile into the corner and at bedtime it was a writhing mass of white feathers, all clucking and squawking, until they finally settled down. During the day, they'll use the roosts, but come dusk, it's into the corner, they go. I know they'll eventually work it out, but I need to put nesting boxes in the coop, so I need them to move now.

At dusk, when I go out to lock the coop up, I pick them up one at a time and set them on a roost. It's too dark for them to really see, so they stay where I put them. In the morning they wake up on the roost and I'm hoping they realize that it's pretty neato. I've been doing it every evening for 5 days. Every evening, there are more birds on the roosts when I go in than there were the night before. I started out with 18 writhing bodies in the corner and none on the roosts. Tonight, there were only six in the corner and the rest had put themselves on the roosts. I hope by the end of this weekend, all of them will put themselves on the roosts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 10AcreChick

...Yes, I make sure the roosts are nice and round and thick, usually I use 2" thick trees I have cut down and trimmed. ...


Is it possible they don't like round roosts? Try a 2x4 with the wide side up and see if they like that better.

 

[azygous]

I'm getting mine to move to the roosts. Up until this weekend, they'd all pile into the corner and at bedtime it was a writhing mass of white feathers, all clucking and squawking, until they finally settled down. During the day, they'll use the roosts, but come dusk, it's into the corner, they go. I know they'll eventually work it out, but I need to put nesting boxes in the coop, so I need them to move now.

At dusk, when I go out to lock the coop up, I pick them up one at a time and set them on a roost. It's too dark for them to really see, so they stay where I put them. In the morning they wake up on the roost and I'm hoping they realize that it's pretty neato. I've been doing it every evening for 5 days. Every evening, there are more birds on the roosts when I go in than there were the night before. I started out with 18 writhing bodies in the corner and none on the roosts. Tonight, there were only six in the corner and the rest had put themselves on the roosts. I hope by the end of this weekend, all of them will put themselves on the roosts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 10AcreChick

...Yes, I make sure the roosts are nice and round and thick, usually I use 2" thick trees I have cut down and trimmed. ...


Is it possible they don't like round roosts? Try a 2x4 with the wide side up and see if they like that better.

Before lumber mills were invented to make wood nice and flat and square, chickens were roosting contentedly in trees, and I've yet to see tree branches shaped flat and square, not to say 2 x 4s are unacceptable as perches. My perches are pine branches 3 and 4 inches thick, and why buy lumber when I can have perches for free?

It takes time for chicks to make the transition from sleeping in a pile to lining themselves up on a perch. My chicks have been at it all week, and approaching their seventh week, the four are beginning to get the hang of it.

I place them on the perch and hold my hand lightly on their backs and heads to quiet them. then if any remain squirmy, I place a finger lightly on their heads, and that encourages them to fall into a pre-sleep state, and they usually remain on the perch then.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree. A bird's foot naturally closes into a claw when the knees are bent....pick up a chicken and try it. This is a feature that is "built in" so that birds of all kinds don't fall off the roost or branch when they sleep. Yes, they can sleep on a flat surface but it's usually due to being balanced on it and not actually clutching it with their feet. These flat surfaces cause more pressure on the breast bone as they sleep, especially in heavy breed birds and many people start to see feather loss and even pressure sores in those areas over time. If a heavy breed is having trouble balancing on a round roost, it could be that it's too small in diameter but it's not usually due to its being round.

I currently have mostly saplings as perches but also have one length of roost that is a 2x4 that is on the same level as the rest of the roosts in that group....most of the birds prefer the branches to the 2x4 and that roost only gets used when all the round ones are full.

A lot of the times I see ladder roosts that are utilizing plain ol boards of 1/2 or 1 in. width and those are placed flat on the supports, so the birds are perching on a pointy, small surface all night. Those are the folks who seem to have a lot of foot problems in the flock. I don't doubt it causes a lot of physical stress that comes out in a poor general flock health and social issues over time.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I've offered roosts made from tree branches AND flat wood roosts.

Mine always choose the flat wood over the branches. BUT...my flat wood roosts are only about 4 x 3/4" with the edges rounded off. They like to get on those and curl those toes over that 3/4" part. It just seems to fig them perfectly and they choose those every time.

I think the 2" depth on the 2x4 probably wouldn't have the same effect since they can't grasp the edge.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I put roosts up for mine, flat, round, mine always choose to roost on top of the wall the wall or door (definitely less then an inch thick)

I keep the roosts the same height as the walls, but they found their favorite spot.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I put roosts up for mine, flat, round, mine always choose to roost on top of the wall or door (definitely less then an inch thick)

I keep the roosts the same height as the walls, but they found their favorite spot.

 

[Victoria-nola]

The problem usually lies in older birds not letting the younger birds on the same level or even near the same level of roosting, so if they can reach any roost bar where the youngsters are trying to roost, they will peck them down off that perch.

Got any pics?

I'm seeing some of this going on, where my older birds are leaving space in the middle of their lineup, which I thought meant they were welcoming the littles, but then when the littles go up there, they peck them. Or, the adult peck at them when the littles are on the next lowest roost. What should I do, or do I just wait this out?

 

[Beekissed]

I'm seeing some of this going on, where my older birds are leaving space in the middle of their lineup, which I thought meant they were welcoming the littles, but then when the littles go up there, they peck them. Or, the adult peck at them when the littles are on the next lowest roost. What should I do, or do I just wait this out?

You can change your roost configuration wherein the older birds cannot reach the younger birds while they are on their own favorite roosts....some folks arrange a whole separate roosting area for this. I've tried roosting lower down so that the elders can't reach the youngers, but they've never used it. Never saw a single bird on those roosts for years now. I usually just put the youngers up on the roosts are night if they don't naturally gravitate there. Pretty soon they get the hang of it and learn to avoid the worst of the older hens.

I've found that broody raised chicks whose mama invites them to the roosts and defend them there at first adapt VERY well and are often to be found on the upper roosts as they age out, right beside the top hens. They learn to fight for their right to be there much, much earlier than those not guided by a mother. I have several examples right now....some that are roosting just fine with the adults, even though they are "weaned"~those are only 2 1/2 mo. old but have been on the roost with Mom for some time, some are still not weaned and are roosting with their mama and I have a dozen sleeping on the floor~they are 3 mo. old~ because their mama didn't try to introduce them to the roosts.

Right now I'm blocking off nest boxes at night until I can get the time to get up there and put those birds on the floor up onto the roosts....I tried once and they were much too fast for me. But...it takes persistence and patience to do that, as it needs to be done consistently for several nights but as Azygous states, it does work and works faster than letting them figure it out. Loss problematic too.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Quote: Thank you, this is so helpful to know that if they have the mama it goes faster and easier. Not having had the experience of a broody hen hatching babies within my flock, I keep wondering what the differences are, just so I know more about the whole thing. My littles are now 2 days short o 6 weeks old and still on the floor together, but someone else mentioned 7 weeks and getting their littles up on the roost so sounds like I'm still within normal bounds.