Roosts

[Ridgerunner]

I have to apologize. I’ll admit I laughed a bit at that, it’s so typical. We do all this planning and make such nice things and they don’t care. Such ingrates!

I don’t see anything wrong with them sleeping on the floor if they want to as long as you don’t let the poop build up too much and they stay out of your nests.

Since they are getting up there during the day it’s not an issue where they can’t get up there. If you really want them to roost up there, make it so dark in the coop that they cannot see to get down, then put some of them up there after dark. If they can see they’ll just hop down. Once a few start sleeping up there the rest should follow.

 

[centrarchid]

The failure to adopt the recently constructed roost has more to do with birds being imprinted on current location. Taking imprinting into consideration will enable more rapd transition of roosting location in the corner to your desired location. I like birds to roost in rows sooner for a couple of reasons. First it enables rapid counting at night when birds are in place. Secondly, some predators like opossums, weasels and sometimes even raccoons are slow to get into birds roosting up buying more time for you to intervene or even detect presence of such bad guys before they impose losses.

 

[KeMe]

... Secondly, some predators like opossums, weasels and sometimes even raccoon are slow to get into birds roosting up buying more time for you to intervene or even detect presence of such bad guys before they impose losses.

They are locked inside their shed every night, so they are really safe. We do have raccoons, possums, feral cats and dogs, skunks and snakes coming around.
But making it totally dark is tough because there are windows in the shed.
I don't think that they're sleeping in their nests because there isn't any poop in them.

 

[centrarchid]

They are locked inside their shed every night, so they are really safe. We do have raccoons, possums, feral cats and dogs, skunks and snakes coming around.
But making it totally dark is tough because there are windows in the shed.
I don't think that they're sleeping in their nests because there isn't any poop in them.

I was not ruling that out. Still layers of protection because even Fort Knox is vulnerable when you leave a door open.

 

[donrae]

My main coop has shelves, a lodgepole trunk and 2x4 rafters. They all get used

The rafters are pretty close to the roof, so the rooster really can't fit. Younger birds seem to roost there most often.

The lodgepole trunk runs kitty corner across the back of the coop. It's about 18 inches higher than the shelves that run around the interior. That's where the head rooster and his favorite ladies sleep.

The rest of the flock sleep on the shelves. They never seem to lose the instinct to try to burrow under each other like when they're babies under momma. Or maybe my birds are just weird. But doing a head count of the ones on the shelves is a challenge cause they're always tucked under each other.

 

[KeMe]

I just thought of an idea!
What if I put a 18" wide ladder about 5" from the floor of where they are sleeping? Then I could raise it a little bit every week until it's 2' off of the floor. It wouldn't take much to build it...a couple of 2X4s and something for the roosts.
The ladders at Home Depot or TSC are really expensive and they're made out of metal.

 

[centrarchid]

I just thought of an idea!
What if I put a 18" wide ladder about 5" from the floor of where they are sleeping?  Then I could raise it a little bit every week until it's 2' off of the floor. It wouldn't take much to build it...a couple of 2X4s and something for the roosts.
The ladders at Home Depot or TSC are really expensive and  they're made out of metal.

Do not tell anyone but that is a very smart approach taking advantage of their imprinting process. Increments of movement can be a little larger and daily.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I just thought of an idea!
What if I put a 18" wide ladder about 5" from the floor of where they are sleeping? Then I could raise it a little bit every week until it's 2' off of the floor. It wouldn't take much to build it...a couple of 2X4s and something for the roosts.
The ladders at Home Depot or TSC are really expensive and they're made out of metal.

Sound like a good idea. Let us know how it works.

 

[KeMe]

Well, that was fun.
I went to the lumber yard and bought some 2X4s and 1X2s and built a wonderful roost that sat the 4in. off the floor. I even measured everything so that I would proud of my job. I took it to the hen house and put it in the place where they always sleep. I even put a lot of wood shavings under it to disguise it some.

This evening when they usually go in into the hen house, they refused to go in. They all snuggled at the play yard gate.
After trying to herd the 12 silly girls into the hen house for while. Soon I realized that they were afraid of the roost. I even tried picking them up and putting them in there. Herding chickens is just 1 step lower than herding cats.

I took the roost out and I still had to prompt them to go in. But, finally they all went into the hen house.
Look at it this way....it gave me something to do while I waited for the dealership to change the oil in my car.

Anyone need a really nice 5ft long roost?

 

[donrae]

Just give them time, they'll get used to it. No one ever accused them of being the brightest animals around

. Mine still squawk and carry on like they're dying when I add shavings or hay to their bedding, and I do that regularly. You'd think it was a shavings monster the way they carry on.