Not roosting...

[Smarcebird]

Hey all! I've got 8 girls and 1 roo. All are around 6 months old, all the hens are laying. Every night when I close up the coop, there are 3 or 4 that don't go on the roosts. Our coop is raised, about 4 ft, off the ground, fenced around the bottom with an attached run. They go up into the coop, but tend to sit on the floor. I've tried moving them up, but it lasts for about a minute, then they just go back to where they were. I don't care where they sleep....does it really matter if they just sleep on the floor?

 

[JodyJo]

I don't see why it would matter....they may get a bit of poop on them from any that do roost above them...

 

[Smarcebird]

Was hoping for that response. Didn't THINK there was a real concern, but thought I'd check. Thanks JodyJo!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

It really doesn't matter as long as there's room for them up on the roost and they're choosing to sleep on the floor.

 

[caspernc]

They may be too low in the pecking order. Try just putting a small 2x on the floor to see if they will sit on it. It is a thing birds are supposed to do.

 

[Smarcebird]

Actually do have a 2x4 on the floor. Seems to be plenty of room on the roost. They are definitely on the bottom of the pecking order.