perches/ stoops

[lacymarie0526]

I'm a bad mom I'm just now getting around to putting in a perch for my chickens and they are 16 wks old...I don't think they have been getting on it is it because I waited to long to put one in? Will they eventualy figure it out? Also my hen hasn't been getting in her nesting box at all is this normal?

 

[A Carolina Chick]

Guilty here too!

 

[Ladysonja]

I have mine in a temorary home better known as a converted dog kennel.

When I purchased them from the local feed store, the were in little Chick-Stacked things without any perches. They are 10 weeks old according to the feed store person.

My husband built perches for them to fit inside the dog kennel.

In the first kennel, I must have put it low enough... both girls are perching sweetly.

In the second kennel, I put the perch 1 rung to high and the girls wouldn't sit on it.

This evening, I moved it down one rung and they are happy as calms...

Maybe start low and then add a higher one rung and so on...

From everything I read, once they figure it out, they will go for the highest one and fuss until they are the girl or roo on top - SMILE!

Good luck~

edit - forgive my thought process... I think faster than I type! & l wish this thing had spell check!

 

[pkeeler]

They will probably figure it out.

If they don't within a day to two, go in at night and put the flock leader on the perch. Once the leader is roosting, they others will follow.

 

[JeninMN]

We are at 8 days that the roosts have been completed...we had "temporary" roosts in there with them since we moved them out of the brooder....temporary as in logs, etc across the floor..nothing high up but things to learn to roost on...

Now..we have the roosts all finished..and we are having trouble getting them to stay up there...they turned 17 weeks old yesterday...I've started really working with them at night...and have gotten a few to stay up there to the point of one of them sleeping very comfortably until he got stepped on by another on his way down!

Are we doing something wrong??? Are they ever going to start roosting on their own?? We put crumble out along each step of the ladder hoping that will entice them...

 

[sunnydee]

I'm not so sure about the roost thing myself. My birds are almost 8 weeks old. They have been outside in their coop since 4 weeks. For the first two weeks, they only had a very low roost which they NEVER used. They rather the window sill. So, by advise of some BYC members I put a roost as high as the window sill. But nope...they still rather pile on top of each other on the window sill.

I have also tried to go in once they are sound asleep and put them on the roost. This only seems to get them all upset and they fly right back on the sill.

 

[scooter147]

WOW, 4 months old and not roosting.

I honestly don't think I have ever had chickens that old in which they didn't roost when roosts are provided.

Sunnydee's chickens are roosting just not where she wants them to. This is usually the problem I have they go for the nesting boxes and window sills.

What type of chickens are they? There not cornish x are they?

I honestly don't know what advice to give. I would simply keep trying to place them on the roost after dark. Hopefully the instinct to roost will kick end soon.

 

[pkeeler]

Yes, just keep at it. If they are roosting on a window sill, then block the sill somehow. Roosting is good, it keeps them out of their droppings. Silkies seem to be known for floor balls though.

 

[pbjmaker]

I have a similiar problem - two 14 week olds that sleep on the floor and 8 D'Uccles + 1EE ( all 5 weeks) that have decided the top of the nesting box is ideal. The babies do use the roosts during the day though to hang out on. Go figure. My older two are potentially both roosters - could that be why they prefer the floor? They used to roost on a large stick in the cage I used as a "growing-out" pen for the first 9 weeks I had them.

 

[Chicken Boo]

Last year I was given 3- and 4-year-old australorps that had never used a roost. They had shelves in the hen house. Earlier this year we removed the shelves and installed roosts. After a few minutes of confusion, they hopped right up. So, I would not worry yet.

BTW, my 9-week-old girls just started roosting last night, instead of sleeping in the litter on the floor. They are growing sooooo fast.