Roosting: Weird, Stupid, or Normal

[MTKitty]

My flock are all the same age and from a hatchery. They are ~ 8-9 weeks old and have been in their yard for about a month.

Every evening, when they go into the coop, they /all/ pile into one corner. Seventeen half-grown chicks cramming into two square feet of floor space.

When I come out in the morning, usually within 30 minutes of sunrise, they are perched on the roosts, waiting at the door, hanging out in the nest boxes. Normal chicken stuff.

Are they weird, stupid, or normal? And will they ever figure out they can start the night on the roosts?

 

[6BeachChicks]

They are still little! You can put them on the roost if you wish, but I let my girls figure it out.

 

[MTKitty]

That’s reassuring. I was afraid I had defective birds.

That they perch in the mornings is already progress. They didn’t do that for the first couple of weeks.

 

[6BeachChicks]

I babied mine and kept them in the house for 12 weeks! They are roosting champions now.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Without a broody hen teaching them they have to figure things out on there own.

 

[Fallenone05]

When I moved my indoor chicks to the outside earlier this year, they did the same thing and it drove me nuts 6 chicks all huddled up in the outside corner, with threats of rain and morning dew. I scared them all back (I was literally unable to fit into where they were) inside the roosting area and they finally learned to perch on the bar in the baby coop. No problems after that.

 

[MTKitty]

Without a broody hen teaching them they have to figure things out on there own.

I suspected that might have something to do with it.

I babied mine and kept them in the house for 12 weeks! They are roosting champions now.

I brooded them in the garage for five weeks. Dear heavens, they produced an ungodly amount of dust and dander (and I live on a well-traveled dirt road). Once they had enough feathers to survive the night and were weaned off the heat lamp, out they went!

They’ve been figuring out lots of things single-handedly (wingedly?) and doing fine. Today, they are figuring out snow.

 

[6BeachChicks]

Aww They learn so fast!

 

[junior67]

Mine turned 26 weeks this past Fri........ They JUST figured out the roost at night about a week ago!!!! Before that they would all do the cuddle puddle in a corner. 2 started to lay and started to use the roost but the others refused. Then another one would join in sometimes. Then the rest joined in besides one (that would use the "baby" roost I put in the spot of the cuddle puddle hoping to encourage them to use it then move to the bigger one... once I moved that out the one that would use it started sleeping in the nest box......) I had to move the 1 from the nest box a couple times. This past weekend she FINALLY went up on her own and has been roosting on her own ever since! So I say it is normal but reading it seemed mine were VERY late learners. LOL

 

[MTKitty]

Mine turned 26 weeks this past Fri........ They JUST figured out the roost at night about a week ago!!!! Before that they would all do the cuddle puddle in a corner. 2 started to lay and started to use the roost but the others refused. Then another one would join in sometimes. Then the rest joined in besides one (that would use the "baby" roost I put in the spot of the cuddle puddle hoping to encourage them to use it then move to the bigger one... once I moved that out the one that would use it started sleeping in the nest box......) I had to move the 1 from the nest box a couple times. This past weekend she FINALLY went up on her own and has been roosting on her own ever since! So I say it is normal but reading it seemed mine were VERY late learners. LOL

“cuddle puddle” - love that.

I hope mine catch on soon. I’m thinking about putting a perch over their huddle corner to encourage them. That may be my November project.