Roosting Chickens

[IrishFarmGirl]

Alright, here is a pic of my chickens tonight....

They have plenty more spaces to roost, but this is the only "soft" spot. Should I add more hammock type things in the coop and take some of the other stuff out? I know it's not because they're too cold (it was 92 F here today), but that seriously cannot be comfortable. hah

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's pretty goofy.

They are still young, eventually they will spread out more, I haven't seen chickens so squished before.

 

[IrishFarmGirl]

That's pretty goofy.

They are still young, eventually they will spread out more, I haven't seen chickens so squished before.

Right? The coop is huge and this is a tiny little luggage hammock thing in a corner. Of course, they're MY chickens, so they're bound to be weird.

 

[centrarchid]

Try installing an additional horizontal board or dowel about 1 foot above the current roost sight. Make so is attached firmly to both walls shown. I like birds to roost up and in a row ASAP. Up provides all sorts of health and safety benefits. Roosting in a row enables rapid counting and facilitates detection of problems. Once rossting up it makes it easier to detect health issues that impact physical ability (flying up to roost) increasing odds for early intervention.

 

[Poultry parent]

you could take the hammock out and put in a roost, since the hammock would be gone they would have to use the roost

 

[greenfeathers]

They will go where they want. I have 22 15 week olds. Some sleep in a pile on the floor. I've moved them to the roost. They go back to the pile. 4 or 5 roost in the rafters of their barn and the rest sleep on the actual roosts I built for them. More and more are getting up on the roosts as the weeks go on.

 

[Poultry parent]

other that that let them do what they want

 

[aart]

Funny...curious what do the other places to roost look like?
Agrees, most likely just youngster foolishness.
Remove the 'hammock'.

 

[greenfeathers]

Mine are wide side horizontal 2x4 the rafter they get on is short side horizintal.

 

[aart]

Mine are wide side horizontal 2x4 the rafter they get on is short side horizintal.

How high are they...easy to get up to and down from?