Roosts at night

[BoomChickWow]

2 part question! My 9 wk old chicks are coop trained! Its so cute and I am so happy. But they all still sleep in a pile like they always have. They roosts out in the run during the day. Is this just because of night temps (40’s 50’s out here in Colorado). And will I need to eventually set them on roosts at night to teach them or will they just roosts at night when ready? Second question, out of my small flock of 5, 2 are roosters that I am taking to a rescue ranch at the end of the week. My black jersey giant roo takes the lead on calling them into coop at night. Will they be very thrown off with losing the 2 cockerels? I plan on adding more pullets in a few weeks when done with our new larger coop

 

[RojoMarz]

Are the 9 week olds the only chickens or are there more? My 3 8-week olds have been integrated with the 10 big girls for a month. For the first two weeks, they huddled on the floor. Week three the young ones were roosting on the poop board. This week, they have started roosting on the roost. They have other chickens to follow/immitate though. If yours don't, you may need to put them on the roost after it's dark, to teach them where to roost.

 

[BoomChickWow]

Are the 9 week olds the only chickens or are there more? My 3 8-week olds have been integrated with the 10 big girls for a month. For the first two weeks, they huddled on the floor. Week three the young ones were roosting on the poop board. This week, they have started roosting on the roost. They have other chickens to follow/immitate though. If yours don't, you may need to put them on the roost after it's dark, to teach them where to roost.

They are all the same age and I got them at the same time. They roost during the day so I am wondering why they don’t at night unless they are just still trying to keep warm? I guess I will start placing them up there!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chicks start off by huddling at night so it's something ingrained in them. Without adults to show them how to roost, it takes longer for them to figure it out. You can help show them how to roost by putting them up on it at night.

Will removing the cockerels upset things? Probably, as they have a pecking order by this point, so changes will be upsetting. It might be mild and not noticeable, or you may see off behavior like the remaining birds not wanting to go into the coop at night.

With the new pullets you're planning on getting, keep in mind you will need to be integrating them in (and possibly quarantining, depending on how much you trust the source), so start thinking about how to do so when the time comes.

 

[BoomChickWow]

Thank you! Unlucky odds that I ended up with 2 cockerels which I won’t be able to keep in the suburbs so thought better to find a place for them now rather than later. I will be looking for a few pullets to fill out the flock and will keep them quarantined for a month in my smaller coop and run then introduce them to the 3 hens in the larger coop and run. I have a dog crate that I was planning on putting in the run for a while during the day as they get to know one another once the quarantine is over. Any other suggestions?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you! Unlucky odds that I ended up with 2 cockerels which I won’t be able to keep in the suburbs so thought better to find a place for them now rather than later. I will be looking for a few pullets to fill out the flock and will keep them quarantined for a month in my smaller coop and run then introduce them to the 3 hens in the larger coop and run. I have a dog crate that I was planning on putting in the run for a while during the day as they get to know one another once the quarantine is over. Any other suggestions?

Sounds like a good start!