I have 6 Buff Orpingtons that have been outside since they where 5 weeks old. They are now 10-11 weeks old. My roosts poles in the coop are like 20-24 inches high but isnt a ladder type. Its 2, 2x3 studs going straight across. They can get up to it and on it but wont roost on it at night. What should I do? They just sleep on the floor in the straw. Should I put a ladder style that they can kinda climb up on or will they get it on there own. Also what age do orpingtons usually start laying?
Have you tried putting them on the roosts at night? I had to do that a little the first week I put my ladies outside...They'll figure it out eventually.
I read here that they start laying about 24 weeks. I haven't conquered the roosting part yet, so i'll be reading to see what everyone else says.
We go out and put them on the roosts when they are asleep and every night we have to move fewer and fewer as they figure it out. never took more than a week (normally just took 2-3 days)
maybe I'm way off here, but perhaps your birds would prefer higher roosts? We have roosts all over our coop at various heights - 12 inches, 18 inches, 24 inches, 36 inches... All the way up to about 6 feet. When mine were babies, they slept on the floor and then some started sleeping on the lower perches (12 and 24 inches)... with each passing week, more and more used the perches. Now they are 10.5 weeks old and they all sleep on perches and none of them use the low ones. They sleep up at 3,4,5,6 feet high... and several of them have figured out how to get up in the rafters which are about 7 feet high. At this age, mine really seem to like to be up high. Anyway, I am a newbie and just guessing here and I'm probably wrong... but perhaps your birds would like some higher ones, since they are about the same age as mine.
My 7 weekers are roosting in the freaking rafters of the coop, instead of on the 6' tall roost. I'd try moving it up.
Do they even know the roost is there? Have you seen them jump on it during the day? Chicken's aren't the brightest animals on the yard sometimes. Sometimes you have to show them what it's for.
I would try moving them when they're sleeping, they'll eventually get the picture. My buff orpingtons roost about 2' off the floor of the coop. I don't think I would put them up higher cause they're big girls and they come down with a thump in the mornings!!
Orpington's because of their heavy weight are famous for sleeping on the floor don't ake them roost as they may jump off and cause their feet to get bumble foot when a heavy bird is up high and then goes to jump off a roost it will possibly hit the bottom of its foot on a stone or clod and bruise it. Thus the bruise will swell up and be infected then you will have to cut the sore and drain out the pus and put medication on it then put the bird in a cage by its self and medicated the sore daily till healed It sometimes makes a hard corn and the bird limps the rest of his life so just let the orpingtons set on the floor
