Roost alternative?

[JulieCB]

I have a 15 month old Buff Orpington who has problems with roosting. She is a very large bird and has always been exceedingly clumsy, tripping and falling over, for instance. We have two roosting bars in our coop and in the past she has typically slept on the top roast but most mornings she is very hesitant to get down from the roost. In the last few days she has also been hesitant to get up on the roost at night and had taken to sleeping in a nest box. I have put her on the roost after dark which works for that night but I'd like to come up with a solution that will make her feel more comfortable in general. Are there alternatives to roosting bars that would work? Could we build a box nearer ground level for her to sleep in? Suggestions welcome.

 

[Silviaschicks]

What I’ve used for my girls who don’t like heights is a box. They can stand comfortably on it and it’s easy to clean poop off of

 

[aart]

I have a 15 month old Buff Orpington who has problems with roosting. She is a very large bird and has always been exceedingly clumsy, tripping and falling over, for instance. We have two roosting bars in our coop and in the past she has typically slept on the top roast but most mornings she is very hesitant to get down from the roost. In the last few days she has also been hesitant to get up on the roost at night and had taken to sleeping in a nest box. I have put her on the roost after dark which works for that night but I'd like to come up with a solution that will make her feel more comfortable in general. Are there alternatives to roosting bars that would work? Could we build a box nearer ground level for her to sleep in? Suggestions welcome.

How high are the roosts and what do they look like?
Some pics of them and the coop would help immensely here.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, photos please.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree, photos showing the roosts, the nests, and their relationship to each other could help a lot. Where doe she lay her egg? You never know what you will see that offers a clue.

Most chickens like to sleep as high as they can but most doesn't mean all as you are seeing. Since you said she "has always been exceedingly clumsy, tripping and falling over" I'm not sure this is caused just by her size. She may have some underlying reason. This sounds like it is not a "roost" issue but just her getting up and down.

There are different possibilities as to how you might solve this, but those depend on what you have to work with. If your coop allows you may be able to build ramps for her to get to some higher place to roost and get back down. Maybe you could lower the nests and build a ramp so she could sleep on top of a nest. Chickens are usually OK with sleeping on a shelf so a flat-topped nest may be best for her. Or maybe something else. It sounds like you have a special needs chicken so what some people consider "best" for most chickens may not be what is best for her.

 

[JulieCB]

How high are the roosts and what do they look like?
Some pics of them and the coop would help immensely here.

Here's a picture of the interior of our coop, based roughly on the Witchita Coop design. The lower roost is about 28" from the top of the litter, the upper roost is 41". The upper roost sits back along the back wall and the lower roost is more forward. We have 4 hens. The footprint is fairly limited so adding an additional roost doesn't seem practical. We may build a ladder design with more and lower rungs to replace the roosts we have.

 

[JulieCB]

I agree, photos showing the roosts, the nests, and their relationship to each other could help a lot. Where doe she lay her egg? You never know what you will see that offers a clue.

Most chickens like to sleep as high as they can but most doesn't mean all as you are seeing. Since you said she "has always been exceedingly clumsy, tripping and falling over" I'm not sure this is caused just by her size. She may have some underlying reason. This sounds like it is not a "roost" issue but just her getting up and down.

There are different possibilities as to how you might solve this, but those depend on what you have to work with. If your coop allows you may be able to build ramps for her to get to some higher place to roost and get back down. Maybe you could lower the nests and build a ramp so she could sleep on top of a nest. Chickens are usually OK with sleeping on a shelf so a flat-topped nest may be best for her. Or maybe something else. It sounds like you have a special needs chicken so what some people consider "best" for most chickens may not be what is best for her.

Thanks for this assurance. I agree with everything you say. I've posted a picture. There is a spot where we might build a little open box near the floor that might make her happy.

 

[aart]

Tall roosts and small floor space makes it hard for them to fly down without crashing.
Not all are nimble enough to jump down to a lower roost.

Might add a ramp to the lower roost.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Their logic doesn't always match ours. Their instinct is to get as high as they can. My thought would be to lower the high roost to the same height as the low roost so her instinct doesn't try to drive her higher. Then build a ramp up to the lower roost if you can. You may need to set her on that roost a while to try to break her habit of sleeping in the nests.

 

[JulieCB]

Their logic doesn't always match ours. Their instinct is to get as high as they can. My thought would be to lower the high roost to the same height as the low roost so her instinct doesn't try to drive her higher. Then build a ramp up to the lower roost if you can. You may need to set her on that roost a while to try to break her habit of sleeping in the nests.

Thanks. I've been staring at the coop all morning and had just decided to lower both roosts. If that still doesn't work we'll build her a little box to sleep in.