Rooster won't roost

[Autumnrgullion]

I have 10 pullets and 1 Black Sex Link Rooster (Ronnie). They are about 24 weeks old and Ronnie is not roosting with the girls at night. He sleeps in the corner of the coop. We thought maybe the roosting bar was too high for him so we made another one about 2ft off the floor and about 12 inches out from the other bar and he still won't use it. He used to roost with them so I'm not really sure what the issue could be, but I am worried about his feet and posture but also mites. Any ideas?

 

[theoldchick]

Does he walk normally? Either his feet are the problem, the roost is the problem or flock dynamics are forcing him to stay on the ground. Inspect his feet, inspect your roosts for proper size and mites, and observe how he interacts with the flock.

 

[Autumnrgullion]

Does he walk normally? Either his feet are the problem, the roost is the problem or flock dynamics are forcing him to stay on the ground. Inspect his feet, inspect your roosts for proper size and mites, and observe how he interacts with the flock.

Everything looks fine with their feet. No mite issues but him sleeping on the floor just makes me nervous. As far as the flock, he keeps trying to jump on them, but it seems like he's just dominating, not actually mating them. I was considering just putting a small roost in his corner for him just to keep his feet healthy and keep him higher and dry. Would this be a good thing to try?

 

[14 passengers]

This might sound silly, but how wide are your roosting bars? Maybe he doesn't sit on them comfortably.

 

[theoldchick]

Everything looks fine with their feet. No mite issues but him sleeping on the floor just makes me nervous. As far as the flock, he keeps trying to jump on them, but it seems like he's just dominating, not actually mating them. I was considering just putting a small roost in his corner for him just to keep his feet healthy and keep him higher and dry. Would this be a good thing to try?

Yes, a roost bar in a different area would be great! Works for me.

 

[Mrs. K]

Truthfully - I would not worry about it. He looks very heathy to me. He has just not gotten everything figured out. I would expect him to just figure it out in the next 3 months on his own.

Maybe I am not seeing something - pictures of your coop and roosting set up would be good.

You could also, go in after dark, and put him up on the roost. Usually two or three times is all it will take and he will go there by himself.

Mrs K

 

[Autumnrgullion]

Truthfully - I would not worry about it. He looks very heathy to me. He has just not gotten everything figured out. I would expect him to just figure it out in the next 3 months on his own.

Maybe I am not seeing something - pictures of your coop and roosting set up would be good.

You could also, go in after dark, and put him up on the roost. Usually two or three times is all it will take and he will go there by himself.

Mrs K

He sleeps in the corner to the left of the nesting boxes.

 

[theoldchick]

A ramp to the roost may help, too.

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't see anything wrong with that set up, very nice indeed. I would put him up there for two to three days, see if he figures it out. If not, I am pretty sure he will by January. I would not worry about his feet or mites, just not an issue.

Mrs K