Not roosting just piling

[ldp621]

This is our first time with chicken so I am unsure. We have read to block the nesting boxes until the girls are old enough to use them so they don't develope bad habits with them. They worked to move the box over and were roosting on it. I blocked it again and better . Now they pile Infront of the ramp and do not go on the roosting poles when they are in the coop. They go on the coop at dusk fine but gather at the door and I have to help the last few in because no one will move. What can I do ?

 

[Mrs. K]

Are they on a roost when above the Lays boxes? I think this is a prefab coop, and they told you that many birds will fit, but they won't. It worked well when they were tiny chicks, but they are rapidly outgrowing this set up.

You really need to either reduce your flock, or build a bigger coop.This is going to cause a lot more problems than not roosting, but their not roosting is due to the lack of room. Adult birds need a foot of space for each bird on the roost. Your birds are not adults and have considerable growth yet to make. There is not room for them to even turn around now.

With winter coming, that is going to create a lot of moisture, their heads are close to the ceiling, moisture is going to collect on their heads and you will have frostbite.

But the worst will be the very ugly behavior you will get as the flock tries to eliminate birds to ensure themselves room in the coop. I am counting 8-9 birds, you should have a coup measuring 6x6 feet, or 4x8 feet. Your ceiling should be a foot of empty space above their heads, with good ventilation.

I think your coup is 4x4= 16 square feet, about enough for four birds. If you cannot come up with a shed or some bigger coop, you should sell half your birds. Sell them as point of lay birds.

Mrs K

 

[peeper89]

show pics of whole coop run & inside

what behind them lays box? look like them chicks r roosting jus not where u want them too
where is roosting bar located in coop r they higher than the lays boxx?

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

This is our first time with chicken so I am unsure. We have read to block the nesting boxes until the girls are old enough to use them so they don't develope bad habits with them. They worked to move the box over and were roosting on it. I blocked it again and better . Now they pile Infront of the ramp and do not go on the roosting poles when they are in the coop. They go on the coop at dusk fine but gather at the door and I have to help the last few in because no one will move. What can I do ?

So i just posted this some question the other day. Our coop is about the same size and the pullets lookabout the same age.

They use the bars to perch during the day but night time looks exactly like your pile.

Most people said they would learn but they needed more time. As a new chicken keeper myself i was worried but i guess time will fix the problem.

I too have not put my nesting boxes in yet because of the sleeping in them issue. Wanted to wait until closer to laying time.

Sounds like your doing everything right. I am in the same boat so if you get any good tips let me know!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Our coop is 12 feet X 8 feet

Not to be too picky here, but the "coop" portion of your set up it the "house" part and "run" is the enclosed "outdoor area". So technically is your "coop" 12'X8' or is that the dimension of the whole thing? For some reason the coop portion does not look to be 12'X8' but with photos sometimes it's hard to gauge measurements.

I does look your your chicks are roosting on top of the Lay's boxes, this is probably because that section is higher than the roosts. Birds like to roost as high as they can. Is there a way to raise the roosting bars so they are above the nesting boxes?

I also agree with @Mrs. K the space does not look quite big enough for that many large fowl birds. Once they "grow up" they do require more than you may think especially if you live where it gets cold (you don't mention your general location). If you have snow/wind and cold weather, you birds will spend time in the coop, having ample space for them to move around for several days in a row and maybe them not even coming out is essential in a colder climate.

Do know that no one here is picking you or your set-up apart. It's sad, but the manufacturers usually are quite deceptive in their advertising. There is no absolute magic number when talking sizes, but the general consensus for backyard chickens is to have at least 4sq ft of coop space per bird and 10sq ft of run space per bird. Some breeds do just fine in smaller spaces while some need even more than that.