roosting issues

[team guava pastry]

how do you get a chick to roost?

we have 4 cochins and a gosling. we have decided only the chicks go in the coop. i think the gosling is disrupting the order. the chicks are about 11 weeks old and refuse to sit up on the roost. the floor is mesh and they decide that's where they are going to bundle up.. IS THIS NORMAL? should the gosling, which is the same age, be left out of the run altogether? -- she's got all her feathers already.

thanks all, TGP

 

[bigtooks]

they will probably roost but not until they feel like it...i have speckled sussex, light brahmas and black australorps and they didn't roost until they were around 3 months old

 

[swedishfish]

my brahmas dont' roost at all and just cuddle up on the floor of my coop? how high is your roost? maybe mine's too high? or maybe their previous owner clipped their feathers - it's been a year though and my wyandottes that came from the same guy love to roost and climb all over everything!

 

[team guava pastry]

i think they like to cuddle. when we force roost them they like to be on top of each other. usually 2 come off the roose and they huddle up. the roost isn't high at all.. maybe 3-4" off the floor.
we're tired of forcing them so now they go in the coop at night, with the exception of Lucy which feels the need to hang out with the gosling, but they cuddle between the door and the hay and we just let them be. i don't want them stressed.

 

[bigtooks]

i have roosts at all levels in the hen house...some of those pretty chickens cant get high enough and some of those girls like the floor...so i don't think you have anything to worry about

 

[meezermom]

My wyandottes did that for awhile - then I started putting them up there. did it a couple nights in a row.

My new orpingtons are still not up there, but they will be soon - they are the new chix, so I'll let them get omfy first. Then I'll try putting them up there also.

Enjoy your babies!

 

[team guava pastry]

Well they are still sitting on the floor of the coop. All cuddled up with each other.

I put them o the roost and the next day right back on the floor.

what to do???

 

[Gabe D]

hi,
I just got an australorp and an isa brown and they roost fine 80cm off the ground, but my light sussex (anything but light they are) just want to cuddle up on the ground. I think maybe the heavier breeds don't like climbing up to roost. They're all about 24 weeks, so they should be up to roosting by now.

 

[The Lazy L]

BOs at one month old, roosting 36" off the floor!

They hop/fly to the roost at 18", study the 36" roost for awhile then hop/fly on up.

At first I thought something had got into the coop and eat all of them because I couldn't see them on the coop cam. Then I heard peeps and scan the cam higher and there they were. They do this every night.

From when they were 1 day old they have been kept in the coop. Around 3 weeks I open the chicken door open and they where allowed to go into the run. Funny, at dusk they will huddle out in the run until the coop light comes on, then they all run into the coop, hop/fly to the roost and try to push each other off until the coop light goes off at 10 PM.