Super Simple Tip - Adapting Chicks to the Roost - Put on end on Floor.

[MTopPA_18707]

We just moved our 6 week old chicks from the brooder to the coop.

In the brooder the roost was on the floor - but all the birds perched on it all the time.

In the coop the roost was 12 inches off the floor.
The birds can jump that high - I've seen them to it plenty of times.
But they just won't use the roost.
I guessed that it seemed too high for them.

So I left one end mounted at 12 inches and set the other end on the coop floor.
That did the trick . . . now they are using it.

 

[TN_BIRD]

Cool
I might try that.

Mine haven't taken to the roosts in the evenings just yet, but they do roost during the day on the ramp that leads in and out of the hen house.

 

[Buff-Island-Australorp]

I currently have 5 black A's, 3 RIR's, and one BO. They are all 6 weeks old today.
They went in the coop at around 2 1/2 weeks old with a heat lamp. I built a roost about 18" off the floor, and they took right to it. Later, I added another higher up at around 3 feet off the floor. Then, a week and a half ago, I put the final one up about 16" from the ceiling, right in front of the window. They hopped up there as soon as I got out of the coop, when I finished installing. They now roost approximately 6 feet off the floor. They use the lower roosts as stair steps to get up there, but their instinct kicked in early by me treating them more like adults I guess.
I may have gone about things wrong, since I know a lot of people on here still have their 6-8 week old chickens in their house, but mine seem to be doing pretty well in their permanent home. They go in the coop at dusk, eat a little, then settle in for the night.

 

[MTopPA_18707]

Buff,

You can't argue with sucess.

It sounds like you're doing better than I am . . . I'll be glad when my birds are doing that !

Kevin

 

[Buff-Island-Australorp]

Just give it time I guess. They'll start using roosts when you least expect it.
I consider my chickens "rebels". (only 6 weeks old, and roosting 6 feet off the floor)
My 6 week olds aren't really treated like babies, although I respect them and know better than to put them in harms way or do something irresponsible.
GOOD LUCK getting them up on their perches!!!

 

[Doopy]

Quote:
Hi Kevin. May I ask why you will be glad when your chicks use their perch? Just curious. Your chicks will mature on nature's time table, not yours.

 

[MTopPA_18707]

Hi Droopy,

That's a good question . . . my reason is once I get them on a roost I will hang a tarp under it.

The idea being to keep the coop a little cleaner by emptying the tarp once a day.

Kevin

 

[Doopy]

Yes that's an excellent reason. I clean two 2 ft. x 6 ft. poop boards every day and it gets to be a pain in the neck. But the compost pile is looking good all the time.

 

[MTopPA_18707]

Droppy

You've touched on another good topic . . . Composting.

I been composting before getting chickens.

I was always told never to put wood chips in my compost pile because they take a lot of energy to decompose.

So I know chicken poop is really "hot" from a composting standpoint - but I still don't like the wood chips as it takes tons os nitrogen to break them down.


I'm hoping the tarp or poop boards will help me because I'll be able to get some poop from there w/o getting any woodchips.


What do you guys think about woodchips in compose pile ?

Kevin