Roost behaviour-anyone ever watched them?

[JeepersCheepers]

So, I have 2 new young girls in with some of my other chooks. I put them up on the roost the first night, but the next night all of the girls spread out so there was no room for them (without shoving them up, and I don't think they would have liked that). Today, I installed another roost and I hung about at "bedtime" to see what happened/put the new girls up there.

It was fascinating. The 2 little girls moved off the "main" roost. I settled them on the new one, and they were hunkered down and seemed comfortable. Then the other girls started coming in. 2 of the isa browns came in last. The little girls started getting upset when one of them came in (she might be the "boss chook"?). She wandered about a bit, eyeballed me as if she was going to "sort me out", then decided that she wanted to squeeze in between 2 of the girls. That didn't work, she just fell back down. Then she decided she'd go in between 2 other girls and they pecked at her, so she moved everybody over and knocked the girl on the end off. Then there was a bit of moving about until everyone seemed to find a spot.

Is this jostling and "mucking about" normal? I wish I had "chook cam" to see what they're up to out there every night. It was quite a show.

Establishing pecking order is all.

 

[JeepersCheepers]

Oh I love watching roost drama, haha. Yes, they jostle and push, that's normal. Only thing better is nest box drama, the line of girls waiting and pacing and yelling while waiting for the "good nest"! They seem to think if one of their sister girls are doing/using something, it must be the best thing and they want it too!

Yes, it is a dance to watch. Hurry up in that box, I want to sit and lay one too.

 

[Abriana]

All the ruckus is definitely normal! It sounds like someone is dying in there for all the squawking. I have a pullet who is bigger than most of the hens and she works her way up onto the roosting bar every night, but she always gets pecked and manages to hold her spot though! I am so proud of her! Anyway, it is very loud in the coop at night, chickens are falling off the roosting bar, knocking against the ventalation hatch, squawking, once, when my rooster found his 'spot' taken up, he just jumped up right onto the hens who were in his spot. There were chickens exploding everywhere and enough feathers to stuff a mattress. All normal!

 

[Abriana]

Yes, it is a dance to watch. Hurry up in that box, I want to sit and lay one too.

That is so right! I heard of someone who's chickens would line up and wait patiently for their turns, but normally, it's squawking and pecking. And it is like they are thinking, "She has the nesting box so it must be the best one."

 

[centrarchid]

I would strive to reduce discord during the roosting process. Predators and stress associated discord. No problems I can think of with relatively quite roosting.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Every night they fuss over roost spots. Too funny to watch. They are so rude!

 

[GC-Raptor]

I used to leave a nightlight on all night. One night when I was locking up the coop, I observed them through the window, and noticed the bully hen pecking the others off the top roost.
The next night I watched for a longer period of time and noticed that after she pecked them off the upper roost, she would peck at the girls on the lower roost that were facing toward the upper roost. I turned off the nightlight that night, and continue to do so, when I lockup for the night.
I use a nightlight so they can see to get onto the roost. GC

 

[User395221]

I've continued to be interested in what's going on out there and have peeked in a few times. The little girls are sleeping in (or on top of, one night) the nest box and, instead of spreading out over the 2 roosts, the 4 girls get to have one, and the "big bully chook" gets one all to herself. Every time I've looked in, she's been on a whole roost bar by herself.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I've continued to be interested in what's going on out there and have peeked in a few times. The little girls are sleeping in (or on top of, one night) the nest box and, instead of spreading out over the 2 roosts, the 4 girls get to have one, and the "big bully chook" gets one all to herself. Every time I've looked in, she's been on a whole roost bar by herself.

Oh you have a bossy girl it seems.

How old are your little girls?
Sleeping in the nesting boxes is I don't want poopy boxes or eggs, so if it were mine, I would block off the boxes. This might encourage the younger ones to roost depending on their age.

 

[User395221]

Oh How old are your little girls?

They were said to be 12 weeks when I got them a couple of weeks ago.

Sleeping in the nesting boxes is I don't want poopy boxes or eggs, so if it were mine, I would block off the boxes.

Yes, it's just temporary, I need to wash the whole thing out and reorganise all of the boxes (put the other ones back in) but the weather's been bad to do it, it's been rainy. Most of my big girls are off the lay, and they haven't started, and they are only in one of the boxes, not the other, so the couple of eggs I might get aren't in the pooey one.