Not using roost?

[jmeeter88]

Well, today was the first time I let the chickens out of their coop after being locked up for 7 full days. Earlier today I left the coop door open, and was gone for the day. I came home after dark, shone a light in the coop, and there they were: All four birds!

However, they were all laying on the floor. Why would they choose that over their roost? I know they can reach the roost, as I've seen them sitting on it before... Perhaps they came inside when it was too dark and couldn't see it?

 

[BFeathered]

Quite possible, chickens have almost no vision in the dark. But mine do hop up on the roost if I put their heat lamp on for about 10 min. Then I can turn it back off.

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

were they using the roosts before? They might not have found them yet or they may just have wanted to use the ground that day.

 

[jmeeter88]

Yeah, they were constantly on the roost when I was 'homing' them. Perhaps they just didn't feel like it tonight...

 

[Akane]

If the building is considerably darker than outside they seem to have issues at first. Mine go up real early cause their building doesn't get much light and gets darker than outside quickly. If they don't and stay outside for some reason until I come to close the door some of them don't make it onto a roost. They huddle next to the nest boxes and end up sleeping in a pile. On evenings they are in early they spend 30mins or more shuffling around finding the right spot. You might just need to turn a dim light on for them in the evening so they can find the coop and their roosts when it gets dark. Just so long as it isn't bright enough to make them think it isn't roosting time yet. I got a little ring of led lights from the camping section that I turn on while making sure they are all put up right.

 

[Carolina Chicken Man]

My chickens had never used their roost either. And they were 7 mos old!!

However, I put a light in the coop so that they would keep laying after the days started getting shorter, and all of a sudden, they start getting on the roost.

They were just staying outside as long as possible, and by the time they went in the coop, they could not see how to get on the roost.

 

[cmom]

Mine in the beginning were sleeping on the floor. I put a 11 watt red sign bulb in and put them on their roost and now they go in on it on their own every night. At first I put it on a timer until the timer died, now I just leave the light on.

 

[jmeeter88]

Quote:
You mean the one from the camping section at Wal*Mart? I was considering purchasing that one, and now that you've mentioned it I definitely will!

 

[DeeTee]

My chooks always use the roost, but there is a light in the yard that provides some light through the glass window in the coop, so they would be able to see the roost even when it's dark.

The funny thing I found out from watching them is this: as the evening starts getting darker, they start to move closer and closer to the door of the coop, and then lay in the hollow they have scratched out for dust baths. Then when it gets darker, they all go in the coop. Then at some point it is slightly darker in the coop than in the yard, so out they all troop again. Then it gets a little darker, and back in they go and up to the roosts.
Funny to watch!

 

[Akane]

Yea it's useful. It spreads out a very dim blue light across the whole room instead of a concentrated beam like a flashlight. I keep it next to the door and it's easy to grab in the dark and shine across the coop.