Normal???

[kaseywhite]

We have 3- 8 week old chicks in our coop. I have a perch inside and outside, it seems they are always on the one outside. When it comes to going to bed at night they dont seem to be going onto the perch inside. I catch them laying together in one of the nesting boxes.
I was just wondering what people thought.

 

[jbh06]

I have 14- 8 week old chicks and all 14 of them pile on top of one another in one nest box at night. I go out at dusk and push them out and then they go up to roost with the older birds. The older birds go in half an hour before dark, and the 14 chicks wait until the last minute to climb up into the coop.

 

[snoggle]

Totally normal. My 8 week olds all pile together in a corner. I'm certain they'll move up to the roosts with the adults when they are bigger. The roosting instinct will kick in eventually. I even put a lower roost up for them for a while and they still piled together in the corner. I gave up and took it down.

 

[drohan]

I agree. Completely normal. I have three full grown chickens, (including a rooster) that are in the coop no later than 7:00 p.m. My chicks and ducklings have to be hearded into their coop. I keep them seperate from the older ones until they are at least 12 weeks old to help prevent diseases and being picked on too early. As they have gotten older, they are better about going into the roost, but they still wait until it's nearly dark.

 

[snoggle]

A couple of my young ones have started roosting this week. It's pretty funny because one of the pullets insisted on roosting between the two adult hens. One of the hens was not pleased and pecked at her for a while, but the pullet just ignored her and cuddled up closer. The hens got over it and they all slept there for the night. The rest of the young ones are still all in a pile, but I'm sure that any day I'll have all of them on the roost.