Sleeping Arrangements, Bunching up on Roosting Bars

[chfriedmam]

I'm wondering about a new behavior I'm seeing and if it's pretty normal and also what I can do to change it. I have 3 ages of birds in my coop: about 18 weeks, about 7 weeks, and about 3 weeks. The 3 weekers are on the floor in a brooder, but they've been increasingly coming out through little doors. The 7 weekers are supposed to be living in the brooder and coming out the doors, but they've gotten brave over the last day and joined the big birds. The big birds own the coop and run.

So at night my 11 pullets used to spread out on their roosting bars, or at least sleep some at each end. Now I see they are all piling way too smooshed right at the top of the ladder on one end. It's really hot (high 90s in the day, lows in high 60s), so they aren't huddling for warmth. It just occurred to me that maybe I should just move the ladder!!! Anyways I am also really proud because tonight for the first time the 7 weekers just took themselves up onto the roosts. They just played it cool and nobody bothered them! (I love that my BCM hen, who my family has voted Least Likely to Peck the Babies' Eyes Out is standing next to them.) Anyway, pics below. I moved two chickens to the other end of my LONG roosting bars, because I can't stand the wasted space!

Any ideas how to get them to spread out like they used to? Or ideas why they may be bunching up like this? I don't see anything scary in the coop. Or is this just natural and maybe I haven't noticed before?

 

[aart]

Or is this just natural .....

Pretty much, yeah.

Not sure there is much you can do to change it, just let the chickens be chickens.

Curious why are those 3(?) roosts so close together?

 

[Shadrach]

It's normal.
You know, the usual stuff. I'm not sleeping next to her because she fidgets all night. I'm not sleeping next to her because she farts in her sleep. I'm not sleeping next to her because she doesn't like me and pecks me. It's far too warm to be sleeping next to anyone.

 

[chfriedmam]

Curious why are those 3(?) roosts so close together?

Ya it's a little weird. It's supposed to be 2 bars, and they are 8 inches apart I believe. But they are in a frame and the outer boards of the frame ended up being closer. The "frame" ones are stood on end and the "roost" ones are sideways to be wider. They do seem to settle down on the wider ones meant to be roosts, and I don't have a lot of issues with poop on the boards, so I'm happy with it. I have a layer of chicken wire on the bottom of the frame so they don't go down onto the poop boards (not really an issue anymore, but it used to be when they were little), and the poop just drops through. If it doesn't, I have that metal spackle knife and I just scrape it off. I'm in SoCal, so everything dries up real fast.

 

[chfriedmam]

It's normal.
You know, the usual stuff. I'm not sleeping next to her because she fidgets all night. I'm not sleeping next to her because she farts in her sleep. I'm not sleeping next to her because she doesn't like me and pecks me. It's far too warm to be sleeping next to anyone.

I guess maybe it's like nest boxes, or marketing for humans for that matter. You need to give choice, but people gonna pick the same thing.

 

[ChicFil- A]

I'm wondering about a new behavior I'm seeing and if it's pretty normal and also what I can do to change it. I have 3 ages of birds in my coop: about 18 weeks, about 7 weeks, and about 3 weeks. The 3 weekers are on the floor in a brooder, but they've been increasingly coming out through little doors. The 7 weekers are supposed to be living in the brooder and coming out the doors, but they've gotten brave over the last day and joined the big birds. The big birds own the coop and run.

So at night my 11 pullets used to spread out on their roosting bars, or at least sleep some at each end. Now I see they are all piling way too smooshed right at the top of the ladder on one end. It's really hot (high 90s in the day, lows in high 60s), so they aren't huddling for warmth. It just occurred to me that maybe I should just move the ladder!!! Anyways I am also really proud because tonight for the first time the 7 weekers just took themselves up onto the roosts. They just played it cool and nobody bothered them! (I love that my BCM hen, who my family has voted Least Likely to Peck the Babies' Eyes Out is standing next to them.) Anyway, pics below. I moved two chickens to the other end of my LONG roosting bars, because I can't stand the wasted space!

Any ideas how to get them to spread out like they used to? Or ideas why they may be bunching up like this? I don't see anything scary in the coop. Or is this just natural and maybe I haven't noticed before?View attachment 3159749View attachment 3159750View attachment 3159751

That looks normal to me, that’s just the way they roll

 

[ChicFil- A]

I guess maybe it's like nest boxes, or marketing for humans for that matter. You need to give choice, but people gonna pick the same thing.

The chickens have a lot to do with who sleeps where, it’s the pecking order and they all pretty much do the same thing each night.
The Rooster or the dominant hen will assign sleeping order. I’m new to chicken keeping and i’ve learned to read the articles and the comments and there are hundreds of years of experience shared here.

 

[chfriedmam]

The chickens have a lot to do with who sleeps where, it’s the pecking order and they all pretty much do the same thing each night.
The Rooster or the dominant hen will assign sleeping order. I’m new to chicken keeping and i’ve learned to read the articles and the comments and there are hundreds of years of experience shared here.

ty, this is an old post and everyone has worked out their sleeping. Attaching a cute pic of my 3 new 8wk Opal Legbar pullets tho. I'm so proud of them! They are eating (with a little screeching and running) with the flock and last night I found they had abandoned their safe area below and were up on the ~4.5ft roost bars! PS that's not a RAT on the floor, it's a steel wool pad that fell while cleaning

 

[ChicFil- A]

ty, this is an old post and everyone has worked out their sleeping. Attaching a cute pic of my 3 new 8wk Opal Legbar pullets tho. I'm so proud of them! They are eating (with a little screeching and running) with the flock and last night I found they had abandoned their safe area below and were up on the ~4.5ft roost bars! PS that's not a RAT on the floor, it's a steel wool pad that fell while cleaning


View attachment 3401407

I like the roost bar looks like they like it, very nice,