Rooster's new digs

[bburn]

Gosh I hope this question goes here....sure don't want to get in trouble for posting the wrong place.
Was not sure if this went here or in behaviors......

I have a rooster that I removed from the flock who had to stay in the chicken tractor until I got a run built for him and some housing.

I bought a huge dog house and a woodbox and joined them. I put a roost inside the doghouse and there is plenty of room for three to roost on it....although there is just him and by the time I get his girls and they go through quarantine the big coop will be built.

Last night I put him in the new run for the first time.....instead of going into the doghouse to sleep he slept on top of it. I did put his food inside the door and he was going in to eat it today....I thought, good, now he will see it is where he is supposed to roost. But no, tonight he is on top of it again. I went outside to pick him up and move him into the doghouse and he would have no part of it. He is not mean, he just got away and was not happy with me.

So, do I just let him sleep on top until he figures it out.....I moved the food further in later in the day and he did go inside to eat. My other thought was to put something on top of the doghouse tomorrow that would prevent him from getting on top for a few days. I know they like to roost high and I have the doghouse up on blocks, securely, and he walks around the platform during the day and it is not unstable.

I think he just has not figured out where he is supposed to sleep. And it is small but plenty big for him and the roost inside. It is not cold here at all....no rain in the forcast so that is not an issue....maybe just the dew in the morning. Do I need to be concerned?
See, it is about the house and his behaviors both......did not know where to post this. Thanks for any input. (or do I put him in under duress and block the door for one night?)

 

[denise70]

Can you provide more info about your rooster? How old is he? Was he using the roosts in his other housing?

I think this is more about his behaviour than the coop - however I have seen other questions about getting chickens to use ramps, roosts etc. in a new coop in his section before.

 

[bburn]

Lone Rooster is 24-25 weeks old and a Barred Rock.
Previously, before I had to put him in the chicken tractor more to protect him than to protect the other rooster, he was raised with the flock. They all roosted. So, he knows what a roost is.

I am also aware that he is lonely. He can see the rest of the flock if he goes to the gate of his pen. He does not stand there and pine for them however. But I am getting him his own flock. I have been in and out of the pen all day and he seems pretty content. It is a large pen, completely covered with wire and very secure.

I would feel better if he slept inside. Out of the dampness.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Why can't you leave him with the rest of the flock until you get his coop and run done?

What kind of wire to you have over the run he is in? If it's chicken wire, a preditor could get to him if he's loose in the run at night.

 

[bburn]

Nah, nothing can get in....now they might get stuck in the wire there are so many layers....but it is securely attached. Even if their weight dropped them down they would be so tied up they would not have a chance to get away before I had the safety off and they got shot! The run is about 15 feet from my bedroom window. The gun is under my side of the bed and that is 2 feet from the window.

As it is, I can hear the hens bawking from my bed when they start waking up in the morning. The roosters crowing sound like they are in the room with me. Plus, the room is up higher than the pen and I can see down into it just looking out the window. I would hear there was an intruder before they had a chance to get in. Truely, it is secure.

The reason he cannot stay with the rest of the flock is because the head roo would not let him. He beat him up several times a day for an entire week before I took him out. The head roo is very gentle with the girls and not agressive towards me. This rooster is not agressive either, he just would not leave the girls alone and the other roo would not have it. The girls were stressed from all the fighting. So he is not going back in. It was do this or rehome him. We like him and want to keep him so he gets his own flock.....I just wish he would go inside to sleep.

It will be about three more weeks at the most before my DH is home from working out of state. He plans to build this rooster a walk in coop like the other one as soon as he gets back. We can get it done in a day. This is just a 'make do' til he gets home. There is actually a second shelter in this run that he gets on also and there is an inside to it underneath and it is more open.