New chicks roosting in wrong spots

[duckie2]

I have 10--18mo old hens (several breeds) and now 9--4mo old chicks (mostly cochins). They have been in same coop and free roaming together for a month or more. The new chicks started roosting everywhere but the official roost. I block off the nest boxes at night (got first pullet egg yesterday!). Also, have blocked off all small spaces, removed water cooler and have tried to block off poop board (hard to block access from bars, may have to take down). I added additional roost bars. The roost is a staggered/ladder shape approximately 5ft wide with 5 bars (tree limbs 1.5 to 2" diameter and a couple 2x4s laid both directions on lower bars). Bars start at 15" and go to 5ft with one small ramp leading up to first/lowest bar. After dark and I place 3 to 5 chicks up on bars (been doing this for 2-3wks). I'm sure the older hens peck at young ones when picking spots for the night. None seem to want the lower bars so 3 are always on the floor at night, one on poop board. If I don't block nest boxes a couple end up there.
Any suggestions?
Thanks so much!

 

[bobbi-j]

I don’t have any helpful suggestions. I just let mine roost where they wish. They usually end up in the rafters.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My immature brooder-raised pullets typically don't sleep on the main roosts with the adults until they mature enough to join the pecking order. That's generally when they start to lay. As long as mine are not sleeping in nests and are someplace predator safe I don't really care where they sleep. That could be on the coop floor or up on something else.

I have juveniles in my flock practically all the time. I used to have a problem with them sleeping in the nests until I put in a special roost for them. It's lower than the main roosts and horizontally separated a few feet so the adults can't peck them. It's also higher than my nests. That mostly solved the sleeping in the nest problem but occasionally one still tries it. Maybe once every two or three years. I toss it out of the nest and onto the coop floor when I'm locking up for the night. They typically get the message that the nest is not a real good place to get an uninterrupted night's sleep pretty quickly.

What you describe sounds really familiar. If you can you might try putting in a juvenile roost and see if that helps.

 

[drinkoj]

Are they roosting at a specific height that you might be able to create a new roost bar? Mine were fitting the fluffy bottoms on the 4" of a 2x4 framing against the wall until I added another bar across from the alpha chickens, and I still find one of them occasionally crammed in the coop framing. They'll roost where they want and all you can do is supply them spots.

 

[duckie2]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do have bars at the same level (also higher and lower) than the nest boxes . I might see if I can split into two sections, a couple feet apart, and see if that works. Thanks again, I'll try to be patient.