I believe yours are 8 weeks old if I read that right. I’ve had a broody take 2 week old chicks to the roost but that’s early. More normal seems to be around 4 weeks with some even waiting longer than that.
I’ve had brooder-raised chicks start to roost on their own at 5-1/2 weeks but that is unusual. I’ve never has brooder-raised chicks do that at 4 weeks like your first brood. More normal for mine is 10 to 12 weeks with some going even longer. That’s in my grow-out coop where there are no adults. If I have my brooder-raised chicks in the main coop it’s often 5 to 6 months before they start roosting on the main roosts with the adults, sometimes even longer. I don’t have the roost space you do but I put in a separate juvenile roost lower down and off to the side yet still above my nests to give them a safe place to go. I’ve seen a hen, usually a low ranking hen in the pecking order, walk to the far end of the roosts just to peck and abuse younger birds trying to roost on the main roosts. It doesn’t happen all the time but I have seen it. Each flock has its own dynamics and each brood is different. It sometimes takes adding or removing just one chicken to change those dynamics. The only thing consistent with chickens is their inconsistency.
If yours are only 8 weeks olds and with all the roost space you have I’d just sit back and do nothing unless they start sleeping in your nests. When they are ready to roost but are afraid of the adults they often settle for some other place than the main roosts. I think this is the main reason chickens, especially young chickens, sleep in nests. Either you don’t have enough roost space or there is a bully on the roosts. That’s why I put my juvenile roost in. You have a lot of roost space and I don’t know if you have any bullies that will leave the rest of the other adults and go beat up on the young ones on the roosts. You are dealing with living animals so no one can give you any guarantees but I don’t see any reason to be concerned yet. I try to not solve problems that don’t exist. As long as they are not sleeping in nests you don’t have a problem as far as I’m concerned.
I’ve had brooder-raised chicks start to roost on their own at 5-1/2 weeks but that is unusual. I’ve never has brooder-raised chicks do that at 4 weeks like your first brood. More normal for mine is 10 to 12 weeks with some going even longer. That’s in my grow-out coop where there are no adults. If I have my brooder-raised chicks in the main coop it’s often 5 to 6 months before they start roosting on the main roosts with the adults, sometimes even longer. I don’t have the roost space you do but I put in a separate juvenile roost lower down and off to the side yet still above my nests to give them a safe place to go. I’ve seen a hen, usually a low ranking hen in the pecking order, walk to the far end of the roosts just to peck and abuse younger birds trying to roost on the main roosts. It doesn’t happen all the time but I have seen it. Each flock has its own dynamics and each brood is different. It sometimes takes adding or removing just one chicken to change those dynamics. The only thing consistent with chickens is their inconsistency.
If yours are only 8 weeks olds and with all the roost space you have I’d just sit back and do nothing unless they start sleeping in your nests. When they are ready to roost but are afraid of the adults they often settle for some other place than the main roosts. I think this is the main reason chickens, especially young chickens, sleep in nests. Either you don’t have enough roost space or there is a bully on the roosts. That’s why I put my juvenile roost in. You have a lot of roost space and I don’t know if you have any bullies that will leave the rest of the other adults and go beat up on the young ones on the roosts. You are dealing with living animals so no one can give you any guarantees but I don’t see any reason to be concerned yet. I try to not solve problems that don’t exist. As long as they are not sleeping in nests you don’t have a problem as far as I’m concerned.
