Our Pullets Stopped Roosting!??

[Enchanted1s]

For tonight, I hung a pillow case partition for the babies. When I have more time, I may try more partitions, I think it is a fantastic idea.

I would have gotten the broody and chicks back in with the flock a week or so after hatch...that's the biggest advantage of having a broody raise chicks.

Agrees that more roosts might help.

Hey @aart - we are still fairly new to chickens and always learning.

HOW would you make the Broody Hen take the chicks out?? We tried to encourage them to leave the run - at least for supervised outings, but the Broody would have nothing to do with it. She - our Broody laid her first egg and almost immediately went Broody - she is not yet two and has hatched three clutches. Seems that she would rather be alone with babies than at the bottom of the pecking order - which is where she always was. Until two new flock members recently came from over the fence - seems Broody has moved up one notch, and we didn't allow her to go Broody again this winter.

The poor pullets seem so lonely. These are the first hatchlings that we kept. All the others we raised to 6 weeks and sold.

Tonight, I put up a half wall to give the pullets their old perch and then hung a pillow case behind them - I think this will keep them off the floor, but will they ever integrate?

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[azygous]

These pullets are behaving pretty typically. With rare exceptions, juvenile chickens will usually try to avoid being in close proximity to their elders. It's part instinct, part insecurity and lack of experience, and size, as well as being schooled by their elders to keep their proper distance. (This is why having a lot of space helps youngsters buck the pecking order.)

Just as humans go through a very awkward stage between puberty and adulthood, so do young chickens. Human kids eventually, gain experience, replace cockiness with self confidence, and grow up. Your pullets will gain self confidence as their elders begin to trust them, and they will become experienced enough to realize they are full members of the flock and they only need to stand up for themselves or be clever to quickly get out of the way of a mean elder.

Be certain these pullets are already integrated. They just need some time to grow into their roles as flock members. Watch. You will see a tiny bit of improvement each day.

 

[aart]

HOW would you make the Broody Hen take the chicks out??

I isolate broodies behind mesh wall to set, then take down mesh wall about a week after hatch. Broody makes her way back into the pecking order, not always a fun part, and still protects chicks until she weans them.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Thanks @aart I will try that next time. For this ordeal...

I put up a pillowcase to partition the babies roost and have been putting them up each night since the original post. Last night, we got home a bit late so everyone was in - but the babies were back on the floor! How long do I have to keep putting them up! They really are NOT babies any more. In fact, they are now just about the same size as the two older Crested Cream Legbar hens now. At the same time we started this with the partition and the two pullets, we have another hen that adopted us. She had been sleeping in a tree,, and it is getting cold, so I started putting her with the pullets. This has worked for her. she now goes in the coop on her own, but these spoiled babies!

We got SNOW here in the desert last night/today. Our chickens didn't leave the coop all day! I had a mesh partition when I first started putting the pullets in the main coop and all was well. I left it in for about 2 or 3 weeks. I know the answer to my question is to keep doing it until they stop sleeping on the floor but it is getting really old!