Not roosting at night

[WiscoChiko]

I have a new flock of chickens. They go in the coop every night. I went out a few nights ago and they were all huddled in the corner on the floor? I have plenty of roosts available and they sitr up there during the day? I went out the last few nights and they have been on the floor as well. They are a mixed bunch around 20 weeks old. My questions are: Will they start roosting as they get older? Is there anything I can do to get them up off the floor? I just know if a weasel or something got in they would be safer up on roosts..
Thank yous,
Me

 

[J-Sanders]

Eh, chickens will be chickens and it won't matter where they are if you get a predator inside the coop. Let them figure it out on their own if it were me.

 

[janinepeters]

Just about any predator that can get into the coop could probably get the chickens off the roost, so I wouldn't worry about safety. However, it is odd that they are not yet roosting, and I am dealing with the same thing. My 13 week old flock of bantams (various breeds) are still sleeping in a pile on the floor. I don't know why, and I have never seen this before. All my previous flocks (5 or 6 total) were sleeping on the roost by 6 weeks of age, max. In my case, I am wondering if it's just because they are bantams, which seem, in my limited experience with them, to develop more slowly than full sized chickens, especially in terms of behavior. Are yours bantams, by any chance?

 

[Vicky2479]

About a week ago I went to check that all the hens had headed in to the coop for the night after being out in the yard all day I shone the torch in the coop and they were all on the floor, this was weird as they have always gone up on he roosts, turns out chickens can't see in the dark and the new coop is much more closed in than the last one so the minute the torch lit up the inside they all started to hop up on the roosts. I have tried a new solar light as I dont have any electricity to the coop but it is not strong enough so I have to go out every night and put the torch in a corner :/

 

[geekulus]

I had this problem with some new chickens, it's not so much a safety issue but a hygiene one. After dark, I would pick up the chickens and place them on the roost. Did this for 2 nights and they stayed there. Also, make sure there isn't much wind or view of the outside at the roosts because they don't like that.

 

[coffeenutdesign]

I had this problem with some new chickens, it's not so much a safety issue but a hygiene one. After dark, I would pick up the chickens and place them on the roost. Did this for 2 nights and they stayed there. Also, make sure there isn't much wind or view of the outside at the roosts because they don't like that.

I did this with my first little flock (the first flock at this house, not ever, lol). They would huddle in the exposed corner near the wire mesh in front, not even in a dark corner at the back where the solid walls were. I would go in just after dark and put them on the roost by hand for a few nights. They finally got off the ground, but some started by just sleeping in the nesting boxes at first. Eventually they figured it out.