Roosting Question, plz?

[Mamu33]

The girls have been in their new coop for about a week or so. Everyone seems happy enough.
They go into the coop at night all by themselves (yay), BUT for some reason all ELEVEN of them insist on squishing onto the top roosting bar!
Should I be militant about moving some of them down to the other bar?

The lower bar is still about 28 inches off the ground.
Crazy chickens.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Instinct is to roost as high as possible....raising the other roost to an equal height *may* help, but being on a new space is likely also causing them to feel insecure and want to be grouped.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Mine like to all be at the same level. Do you have enough room to add another roost at the same height?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Leave them alone and let then work it out. There are always exceptions, but their instinct is usually to sleep on the highest point possible and the ones highest in the pecking order get to sleep where they want to sleep. As they grow the ones at the bottom of the pecking order may get forced to the lower bar, depending on how crowded they get.

Lots of people use the ladder type roosts where they are aft different levels. The chickens work that out. If you wish you can put in more roost space at the same height. Height is not the only thing that makes a certain roost preferable, location in the coop can affect that too. Mine like to be near a window. The dominant ones will still sleep where they want to and the ones lower down will make do with what is left. They will work that out too. This is not something you need to micromanage. Have enough roost space available higher than the nests and they will work it out.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Leave them alone and let then work it out. There are always exceptions, but their instinct is usually to sleep on the highest point possible and the ones highest in the pecking order get to sleep where they want to sleep. As they grow the ones at the bottom of the pecking order may get forced to the lower bar, depending on how crowded they get.

Lots of people use the ladder type roosts where they are aft different levels. The chickens work that out. If you wish you can put in more roost space at the same height. Height is not the only thing that makes a certain roost preferable, location in the coop can affect that too. Mine like to be near a window. The dominant ones will still sleep where they want to and the ones lower down will make do with what is left. They will work that out too. This is not something you need to micromanage. Have enough roost space available higher than the nests and they will work it out.

It’s funny because my chickens that are lowest in the pecking order always head to the coop first so they will get a spot on the roost and my most dominant ones go in at the very last moment when it is getting dark.