Remedy for ground roosting

[possumblossum]

I've just come through a serious outbreak of cocciodosis (I hope) because the silly things (4-H chicks, 12-14 weeks old) refuse to sleep anywhere but in a damp corner. Is there an effective way to get them to sleep in an elevated position?

 

[centrarchid]

Put them in a crate. Then place crate in desired location for them to roost. Repeat for a couple nights leaving crate in desired roost position during day. Watch for birds going to crate on their own. Once the do for a couple nights then remove crate from area and they should go to it last location and roost there out of frustration. If desired location more than 4 feet up, then make so crate is directly below but still elevated above ground by a couple of feet. Once they adopt low location, then raise crate a foot to on successive nights to get them up to desired location, then remove crate as before.