The Girls Just aren't using the Roosts

[nobodyherebutuschickens]

Quote:
You know, this seems to be very common behavior. I've had three chickens squeezed into the same nest box at one time, even when the other box is unoccupied. They seem to want whatever another chicken has. I think they do it just to spite me.

 

[2overeasy000]

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This is what I did too. They all roost now at 9 weeks.

 

[BigKitty09]

My problem is they have been sleeping in the brooder which was a rabbit hutch till about 10 weeks old then moved to roost in the grapefruit tree right next to where their brooder was, about 8 feet high. They were in the house till 7 weeks, then moved to just outside the patio door, then moved to around the house 3 weeks later, then slept in the tree for 1 week. I have just finished their coop ( I should have started a long time ago), and have put in a 2x4 (wide side up) about 2 1/2 feet off the floor. I spent all this time on their coop and when night falls they go into the grapefruit tree. Then I have to go and take them down and place them in the coop. Is it that they don't like the coop, aren't used to it, prefer to sleep outside???? whattt???
I have put their food inside the coop, and put them in there every night and let them out through the run door in the morning. I haven't finished the run yet, but hope to finish by wednesday since we are adding 2 more pullets and will need somewhere to quarantine them.
Here are some pictures of the coop so far...

Here are my stubborn but sweet girls

Here, you can kind of see the roost through the door.

They haven't started laying yet but I hope they will get used to the coop soon so they will lay in their nesting boxes. Those are golf balls to give them a hint. 4 boxes 1 ball in each.

Once the run is finished I will add more pictures, and pictures of our new girls. An EE and Blue laced red wyandotte. too excited!

 

[BigKitty09]

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Ah! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your post. I was replying to your topic then realized I had gone off on my own tangent, and decided I was going to just start a new topic, but then after hit send.

 

[gale65]

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I wonder if they're just confused. After reading posts like this I'm glad we brooded in the coop and will always do that in the future. For this reason and others. Our chicks have known the coop to be 'home' since day 1 (or 2, technically).

 

[otowner98]

I have the 3" side of the 2x3's up. I'll also be making sure that the nest boxes (tomorrows project, yippee!) are lower than the bottom perch (24 or 28", don't recall). I'm thinking I might just build a small ramp up to the first perch and see if they take to that.

 

[Featherland26]

It help the chickens a great deal when they have levels of roosts to jump on till they get to the higest roost