Roosts

[welderskelter]

At what age do chicks usually go for the roosts? Mine are five weeks and dont care for them yet

 

[DobieLover]

It depends on whether they were raised by a chicken or by a human. When raised by a human it takes them quite some time to figure things out. If raised by a broody hen she takes them up to the roost usually between the age of 3 to 6 weeks depending on how large her brood is and how many other chickens are up on the roosts taking up space.
If you want them to develop the habit of roosting, put them up on the roost after dark every night until they get the idea.

 

[kattabelly]

Have they had low practice roosts as baby chicks or are you just expecting them to go up to the same roosts that adults use (or roosts that are built at spacing suitable for adult birds, if you don't have any older chickens)?

 

[Ridgerunner]

My brooder raised chicks tend to go to the roosts at 10 to 12 weeks if no adults are present. Some have started as early as 5 weeks, some take much longer. The way my grow-out coop is arranged probably has an effect on the timing. Each brood is different. They may play on the roosts during the day but I consider roosting to be when they sleep on them at night.

 

[BonnieBlue]

I don't remember what age for the last batch, but they were a few weeks old.

This morning, I went into the garage, and two of the six 11 day old chicks were on their tiny training roosts, with the others asleep on the sand floor. I don't know how long they had been there, but it lasted 30 minutes more. I was amazed that even if not all night, a couple are beginning to get it at that age.

I have noticed that the two Olive Eggers and the one Welbar are much more agile and have been on it during the day 10x more than the three New Hampshires. The NH's are like little kamikazi chicks. They will take off then not have a great descent and land on others. Or over shoot the roost and faceplant on the other side.

What a hoot these little creatures are to watch.

 

[McChooky]

My Australorps and Sapphire gem use their wings to get up on the roosting bars at night but they're poor examples of a bird in flight

 

[Altairsky]

According to my batches, anytime between 4 and 16 weeks, depending on how the broody wean the chicks.

 

[Penpal]

I put a small log/branch in the brooder. Just a couple of inches high. This is easy for them to get on.