My 4 buff Orpington hens are 11 months old. When I created their coop the roost was too small. As they got larger one of them decided to sleep in the nest box. Her tail feathers were always poopy. I installed a new roost to fit all four of them. For a few nights I put her on the roost. She still won’t go up there by herself. Is it unhealthy for her to sleep on the floor? Her vent isn’t poopy or clogged.
Not sleeping on the roost
- Thread starter Alzang
- Start date
It's not a huge issue if she wants to sleep on the floor, the main concern usually is sitting in the poop as you noted, and it generally makes clean up easier on the keeper if the chickens all roost and poop in a given area. But if it doesn't bother you you can let her sleep on the floor if she prefers it, or you can keep trying to put her on the roost in hopes that one day she "gets it."
- Thread starter
- #3
Thank you. I was afraid that it would cause and infection or other physical problems.
Only possible problem off the top of my head would be an increased chance of picking up mites/lice from lying on the bedding, but if you don't have an existing parasite issue her being on the ground is not going to suddenly cause it.
Am guessing your roost still isn't long enough.
Dimensions and pics of your coop and roosts would help us help you.
In my opinion, not as long as it is dry. Some chickens, like some Silkies that can't fly, sleep on the floor. Some Silkies will roost but not all do. My broody hens keep their chicks on the coop floor at night until they take them to the roost. Often that takes a month or more. My brooder-raised chicks often sleep on the coop floor in the same spot every night until they get older. These chickens are generally healthy.
If the poop builds up enough where they sleep that it stays damp I'd be concerned, but that doesn't happen with my broody's and their chicks or my brooder-raised chicks. Although they poop at night and they sleep the same spot each night it gets scratched up so poop is scattered. And my coop bedding is very dry.
In this type of thing I suggest you go by what you see and not what someone over the internet's imagination thinks is going on. If the poop is building up or the bedding there is damp you probably have a problem. If not, I don't see the risk.
At 11 months she probably should be roosting. If you can give us details like Aart asked for we may be able to help with that. But as long as mine are not sleeping in the nests and are sleeping somewhere I consider predator safe I'm OK with it.
it takes 2 weeks to create a habit....
You could also try making a very low roost that she could just step up onto...
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