not using roost bar at night

[bow-chicka-bow-bow]

Ok, so I finally got the coop finished and the girls moved in last Sunday.

I have 5 that are approx 8 weeks old and 3 that are approx. 6 weeks. I've kept them in the coop and not let them in the run yet until they get used to all the extra space. I also have closed the nest boxes.

My question is that so far, they will get on the roost bars during the day sometimes, but at night, they will all huddle together in a corner. It is getting into the 60 or so at night, but the coop is insulated and I don't keep the windows open, so they should be plenty warm. Will they figure out to get on the bar themselves or do I need to try and put them on it in the evening? I'm not sure what to do.

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
They are still young and the roosting instinct has not quite kicked in. This behavior is still quite normal at their age. I've found that chicks raised without a hen take longer to roost. My two batches of chicks raised by broody hens start to roost at about 6 weeks, that's because mom roosts at about that time and the chicks follow.