Roosting issues

[OuelletteFlock]

We have 9 week old chickens who have been living in the coop for a week now. They can’t figure out the roosting bars. We have two roostings bars ( 2x4’s ) over a poop board. Every evening , I go to the run and corral them into the coop. I place them on the roosting bar, but first I place each of them on the ladder leading to the bar. I’m hoping they’ll figure this out in their own at some point. When I get them all into the roosting bar, they immediately start climbing over each other and fighting over who gets the be first, right up against the wall near the window. As they do this, at least one or more fall off the roosting bar. If they fall off, they don’t get back up. I go back out to check on them and I find who ever has fallen, walking around in the poop board or sleeping in the poop board alone. Will they figure this out? Should I keep going back out to the coop to move them? My concern is 1 chicken not having Anyone to huddle with when it’s still cold at night.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would just leave them be. Unless it is getting below -10 degrees, they are fine for warmth. Let them be on the floor, eventually they will figure it out. I do not let mine in the nesting boxes. I block them off until they are roosting.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would skip the ladder, and put them directly on the roost - depending on how high the roosts are, unlikely they'll actually need a ladder. Put them on the roost when it's fairly dark to minimize them moving around so much.

 

[aart]

Put them on the roost when it's fairly dark to minimize them moving around so much.

I wait until it's fully dark.
Headlight set on dim and pointed up at ceiling so I can see but it's not lighting a 'path of escape' for them.

Or just wait, they'll get to it eventually.

Do they get up there during the day?
Pics of cop and roosts might help us spot a problem.

 

[Pinger05]

They will get it on their own. My Buff Ophingtons figured it out on their own. They are 7 weeks old. The only time I will move them is if it's bitter cold or someone is in danger of being pooped on.

 

[OuelletteFlock]

I wait until it's fully dark.
Headlight set on dim and pointed up at ceiling so I can see but it's not lighting a 'path of escape' for them.

Or just wait, they'll get to it eventually.

Do they get up there during the day?
Pics of cop and roosts might help us spot a problem.

They spend a lot of their day in the coop right now , but I have yet to see them up on the roosts on their own, day or night. They always huddle together in a corner or anywhere on the floor. Tonight, I went back out to check on them after I had previously put them on the roost. One of them was on the bottom of the ladder, walking back and forth. One of them was roosting right on the edge of the poop board in the back left corner. The other five were all in a pig pile on the floor in the back left corner of the coop, behind the dresser I converted into nesting boxes. They don’t get in the nesting boxes but I think I’m going to block that off because I’m worried they may migrate to a nesting box if they are hanging out in the back corners. I keep going out to put them back on the roost because I don’t want anyone sleeping alone. It’s still cold at night and we might get snow in the early morning. They just seem so lost on the roost. They try to climb on top of each other and pile up in the corner of the roost by the window. Someone usually falls off into the poop board and then it’s all over from there. Did I design the coop wrong? It is my roosts??

 

[rosemarythyme]

Roosts look fine. I'd consider ditching the ladder, they should be able to get up there themselves. But otherwise it's putting them up each night, and waiting for the lightbulb to go off in their heads. Some chickens get it faster, some take a bit longer.

 

[aart]

I would ditch the ladder too....looks more like a ladder roost than a 'ladder to get up higher'.
Ramps work better IMO, if you even need one.
I often use a concrete block (16" tall) as a step up for young birds.
I've also gone in during the day and put them up on the roost over and over just to familiarize them with being up there and getting down.

 

[Ewehnes]

We have 9 week old chickens who have been living in the coop for a week now. They can’t figure out the roosting bars. We have two roostings bars ( 2x4’s ) over a poop board. Every evening , I go to the run and corral them into the coop. I place them on the roosting bar, but first I place each of them on the ladder leading to the bar. I’m hoping they’ll figure this out in their own at some point. When I get them all into the roosting bar, they immediately start climbing over each other and fighting over who gets the be first, right up against the wall near the window. As they do this, at least one or more fall off the roosting bar. If they fall off, they don’t get back up. I go back out to check on them and I find who ever has fallen, walking around in the poop board or sleeping in the poop board alone. Will they figure this out? Should I keep going back out to the coop to move them? My concern is 1 chicken not having Anyone to huddle with when it’s still cold at night.

Did you find something that worked? Ours won't roost either, we have had them a week. Our rooster keeps going to the nesting boxes which we would like to nix.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Did you find something that worked? Ours won't roost either, we have had them a week. Our rooster keeps going to the nesting boxes which we would like to nix.

Where did you get them? Did the roost in their previous home?

1) Block of the nests just before dusk. This will be a bit tougher with your set up but some big sheets of cardboard might do the trick. Once it's completely dark, you can remove the covers.
2) Manually put the chickens on the roosts once it's too dark for them to move around. You're going to need to do this each night until they figure it out.