teaching to roost

[Terrie Mac]

My hens are 5 months old and won't roost at night, only during the day. So I go in at night and put them up on a 2x4 ledge that is about 8" from the wall. I've been doing that for 3 nights now. I'm wondering though which direction I should face them. I feel bad because it seems they are scared stiff and remain however I place them, most of them still standing upright. For 2 nights I faced them towards the wall because that's what they did when they huddled in a corner. Last night I faced them outward. The small coop has 2 open sides, the roost is against the closed wall. Any suggestions?

 

[Judy]

My setup is similar and mine face both ways, as if they didn't care which. I suspect you'll need to keep it up several days longer to get them retrained.

 

[Terrie Mac]

Thanks Judy!

 

[ChickDaze]

When I first got mine in the coop, they hated being on the roost. They were on the fox trap! You want them off the goround so keep up what your doing. It may just be they're tired. I had one on the ground because he had been pushed off and didn't get back on top.

 

[yellowirenut]

i did not have to train mine to use the roost but i did have to push them up the ramp a few times to show them how to use it. Goofy birds would walk to the corner and hop up into the door. Until i changed my run set up I still had one "slow" bird doing that

 

[ki4got]

what I had to do with mine, when i put them on their roost at night, i laid my hand on each one's back after i moved them to make them 'lay down' on the perch... talking to each one in turn i did tell them to lay down and go back to sleep. it only took a few nights for them to catch on. most of mine like to face away from the wall. I have 3 roost perches at different levels though, and they perch by 'totem pole' order LOL those lower in the pecking order tend to stay on the lower perch, and the more dominant ones on the top.

before that they were all trying to sleep in the nest box, and making a mess of everything.

good luck

 

[Tambo26]

My sweet girls (3 B.O.s) had no issues with using their roost. I think it may be because I had a small roost in their brooder when they were babies and they learned to use that one. I didnt even have a ramp up to the roost in their permanent coop until a couple weeks ago and they were using it just fine. They are so funny.... I love to watch them try to get settled when they first go in for the night. They cant get close enough to each other! My roost is a 2X3 on two of those metal shelving brackets. They start out the night as close to the corner as they can all be, one of them actually roosting on the shelf bracket and they are all three heads together in the corner! So cute. Then, at some point in the night they end up perfectly spaced along the roost!

I would say just keep putting them up there! They'll get it!

 

[Terrie Mac]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I don't have ramp (it's not very high) but maybe I ought to. Here's a pic of them all lined up for bed. One turned around, then changed her mind and ended up facing the wall. I must say it's much easier to clean up in this direction