New 8 mo. old hens not roosting

[gkeesling]

I just got seven 8 mo. old sex link hens. They were raised by a fellow since day old chicks in a horse stall. They were very well taken care of, but they have never been on a roost or laid in a nest box. Their first night in their new home (with 12 already established year old Barr Rocks) 3 of the new hens went up on the roost. But, I found 4 of them huddled in a corner together in the run. I put them in the coop and they all went to a corner together. I put them up on a roost, but they jumped down and went back into the corner.
Will they end up going up on the roost with the other chickens or will they just continue to huddle together in a corner at night like they have done since little chicks. I'm also waiting to see if they will lay in a nest box, or in a corner on the coop floor. Any ideas to help me help them be like the other chickens?

 

[TipsyDog]

Don't give up. I'd keep putting them on the roost every night till they get the hang of it. Chickens were born to roost!

Put golf balls in the nest box to give them a hint.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Leave them be. They'll figure it out. They always do unless they're too heavy to reach the roosts or it's too crowded up there for them to get in. If there's room and there are other birds using the roosts they'll gradually figure it out for themselves.

.....Alan.