My birds are three months old, and yesterday we moved them from their brooder in the basement to their brand new coop. They seemed to acclimate pretty quickly - they're eating, scratching, preening, and all the normal chicken stuff.
The only thing is that they don't seem to be using their perches (which I must admit disappointed me as I was so proud of the nifty perches I built for them!). I know they are capable of using them as there have been a couple of brief explorations, mostly by the silver Wyandotte, who was also the first to use the small perch in the brooder. But at night they all just clustered into a corner and slept on the floor as they have been accustomed to doing.
I'm sure they probably just need some time to adjust to the new environment. Or maybe they'll be more apt to roost when they are full-grown? I know this is probably irrational, but I'm worried that they've somehow lost the roosting instinct because there wasn't much perch space in the brooder.
The only thing is that they don't seem to be using their perches (which I must admit disappointed me as I was so proud of the nifty perches I built for them!). I know they are capable of using them as there have been a couple of brief explorations, mostly by the silver Wyandotte, who was also the first to use the small perch in the brooder. But at night they all just clustered into a corner and slept on the floor as they have been accustomed to doing.
I'm sure they probably just need some time to adjust to the new environment. Or maybe they'll be more apt to roost when they are full-grown? I know this is probably irrational, but I'm worried that they've somehow lost the roosting instinct because there wasn't much perch space in the brooder.
