Now what... Bad Sleeping Habits

[enggass]

So today I blocked off the nest boxes to keep them from pilling into one and sleeping (6 birds-8+ weeks old).
They were not happy... Anyway, now they are all piled in the corner in front of one of the nest boxes, squashing each other in the process...
Should I just let them be until they figure it out?
Thanks,
Steve

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
I have struggled with this question with several groups of my chickens (and am currently dealing with it). I too block off the nesting boxes to prevent certain newbies from sleeping and, more importantly, pooping in them. As inconvenient as it is, I go out to the coop at dusk and pick the babies up and put them on the roost. If they jump off, I put them back up there (sometimes repeatedly). As near as I can tell, they remain there all night (according to my forensic, poop evidence on the droppings board in the morning).

Today my Silkie decided to go broody and has gone out of her way to foil my nest-blocking attempts. She got back in there twice and I took her out and put her back on the roost (as a side note: she's nearly a year old and has NEVER laid an egg, so I'm not sure what business she has going broody on me!).

I'm not sure if they figure it out themselves or not. Of my three Frizzles, none figured it out on her own. After about a week of re-roosting, only one of them clued in and gets up on the roost herself. The second will stay on there if I persist and the third sleeps in a little box that I finally put on the floor for her to hide in.

Good luck with yours!

 

[enggass]

I have a small coop, not a walk in. Real pain in the ass to lean in, grab and place all 6. Guess I'll try starting tomorrow if it's the only way.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

We have a tractor and when we first placed our girls in there only two would go up on the roost. We had a little roost in their brooder box so they were familiar with roosts but a few of them insisted on sleeping in the corner of the tractor. Eventually they hopped up on the roost to be with the other girls. Yours will learn to do this as well. If they havent really roosted yet, you might have to put the leader up their first. (By now you must have figured out who the head hen will be). Once she gets it, all the others will follow.

 

[enggass]

Oh yes... I actually have 2 co-leaders in my pack of 6. One more so than the other. I'll get them up there... Thanks.
Steve

 

[CindyG]

I have 12 who are about 10 weeks old, and five a few weeks younger. The twelve went to the big coop first, and would sleep all piled under the heat lamp, the younger five went out a bit later and at first were in a wire cage, then I took the cage away, but left the top of it on an angle that they could still get behind. Now, the first 12 all sleep on the roost, figured it out all on their own, and the five still sleep crushed together behind their screen. I will have to make a lower roost for them as I don't think they will ever be allowed up on the big roost. Some birds just don't like to roost, they would rather sleep on the floor, and others, the higher they can get, the better. Silly chickens!