Non-perchers

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

sorry to say it but first thought how many birds in there nice looking coop

Yeah 5 older girls, 1 roo, and 4 newbies

 

[pennyJo1960]

I am sorry you will need a larger coop then when they are all grown

 

[ejtrout31]

you might need a another roast or a bigger coop

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

I am sorry you will need a larger coop then when they are all grown

Really? Cause if I do my math right I have more than enough. Why does sqft matter why the 3 won’t perch?

 

[pennyJo1960]

they may say they fit 12 but no 6 is the limit in that one I am sorry go buy a prefab building with a man door 12 x 16 gut a pop or chicken door whatever you want to call it attach a 12 x 20 run Just my humble opinion then you can birds and a few more for that cockerel... Chickens are prehistoric they will cannibalize each other without enough room

 

[Kiki]

No, floor space I have 8sqft a bird
Perch is 3aqft

Just to clarify...you have 80 square feet of floor space in this coop?
That would be plenty room.

Your roosts are 8 feet long and you have three of them?

 

[Tesumph]

8 square feet per bird is plenty enough room in the coop, don’t worry about it.
They sound like they have plenty of roosting space, I’d say it will get better with time as they continue to integrate and work out the pecking order. It’s possible they’re getting pecked/shoved around at roosting time and opting to loiter around on the floor until it’s too dark for them to roost anymore. I would keep manually placing them up there and hope for improvement over the next few weeks.

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

Just to clarify...you have 80 square feet of floor space in this coop?
That would be plenty room.

Your roosts are 8 feet long and you have three of them?

Yes the coop is a 8x10 barn. Perches 8ft long and 3 of them

 

[aart]

Roost space is not measured in square feet....but length in feet.

8 square feet per bird is plenty enough room in the coop, don’t worry about it.
They sound like they have plenty of roosting space, I’d say it will get better with time as they continue to integrate and work out the pecking order. It’s possible they’re getting pecked/shoved around at roosting time and opting to loiter around on the floor until it’s too dark for them to roost anymore. I would keep manually placing them up there and hope for improvement over the next few weeks.

This^^^ covers the situation well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They are all above 15weeks old.

This does not say how old they actually are or how much age difference there might be between them. The important thing is not really age though, it is maturity. They mature at different rates. It sounds like they are close enough together that one can match maturity with the original ones.

Is there something I’m not doing, over looking, or should do?

Not really. Mainly it's have patience. They are going through puberty, that can be stressful. They are not hurting each other so it is a successful integration. Be happy about that. Eventually they will all reach a level of maturity where they will merge into one flock, hang together, and share the roosts.

The one thing that bothers me is that they are sleeping in the nests. To me that means they are afraid of the others, that they expect to get beat up if they go up to the main roosts. They may have a good reason. Mine are most brutal toward each other as they settle down to sleep at night. It sounds like you may have a lot of roost space. When you put them on the roosts after dark try putting them as far away from the others as you can. Make sure it is dark enough in the coop that they are not likely to jump down or one of the others isn't going to walk over and beat them up. I've seen that happen.