No interest in roosts :-(

[cblakley0531]

My chickens range anywhere from 16-18 weeks old right now. They been in their coop since they were about 6-8 weeks old and after SO many attempts....and I mean MANY attempts of me trying to put them on their and getting them to stay....has gotten me no where. They still refuse to roost. They always huddle on the coop floor in the same corner each night. Should I just give up?

 

[farmgirl7]

How high is your roost? If yours are only a couple of inches off the ground, they will lay on the floor. If this is the case, move the roost 8" to 10" higher. How many do you have and how large is your coop? We purchased a coop for our 6 chickens that are now 10 weeks old. They are already outgrowing it. We recently moved an old shed from one part of our farm to the backyard. It is 8' X 8' X 7 1/2'. Needs a lot of work before we can use it! Hope moving the roost is the answer to your problem.

 

[jetdog]

My chickens range anywhere from 16-18 weeks old right now. They been in their coop since they were about 6-8 weeks old and after SO many attempts....and I mean MANY attempts of me trying to put them on their and getting them to stay....has gotten me no where. They still refuse to roost. They always huddle on the coop floor in the same corner each night. Should I just give up?

Try placing them on the roost after it gets dark at that age they should be roosting on their own, don't use a bright flash light just enough so you can see, they shouldn't hop down if it is dark enough.

 

[TGray]

having the same issues with my birds. My roosts may be too high off the floor though. ( Around 4-5 feet) I have a large ladder with many steps on it but they still have no interest in using it.

 

[JanetS]

Picture of our roost. Most of the chickens use the ramp expect for our white leghorn. She flies up. We have added a second roost since this picture was taken.