Week Old Chicks - Help Roosting

[Buddy-O]

We have 25 BSL one week old pullets and they seem to be doing fine eating and drinking, but the only thing they want to roost on is their feeder and the side of the brooder which has a 2 inch lip all the way around. I have put different sticks and cane poles in there at the same level as the feeder and they seem to avoid them like the plague.
Is this normal? when should they begin to roost?
We appreciate any one who takes the time to help!

 

[azygous]

Yes, it's normal, and they won't be roosting to sleep for weeks yet.

How deep is your brooder and how big? It sounds like there is scant room for 25 chicks and they are trying to carve out some room for themselves. if they're perching on the lip of the brooder, in a few more days they will be fleeing the brooder entirely.

To solve the problem, you need at least a square foot for each chick and a deeper brooder with a net over the top.

Is this your first batch of chicks? Are there any adult chickens to contend with in the coop? If not, why not just move the chicks out to the coop with a heat lamp positioned so they can warm themselves and then run off to cooler spaces. It will solve all your problems in one move.

Chicks really do not require a "brooder" for well being as long as they have a heat source.

 

[WindyHillFarm]

Hi! Mine don't usually show signs of wanting to roost until they are about 2 weeks old. When they start flapping their wings a lot, I put in a starter roost, which is basically a scrap of fairly wide wood. I put it up against the side of the brooder so it's out of the way, and they investigate and start climbing up a short while after I put it in there. Tried to send a pic along with this but uploader wouldn't work...

 

[ccarver80]

Yes, it's normal, and they won't be roosting to sleep for weeks yet.

How deep is your brooder and how big? It sounds like there is scant room for 25 chicks and they are trying to carve out some room for themselves. if they're perching on the lip of the brooder, in a few more days they will be fleeing the brooder entirely.

To solve the problem, you need at least a square foot for each chick and a deeper brooder with a net over the top.

Is this your first batch of chicks? Are there any adult chickens to contend with in the coop? If not, why not just move the chicks out to the coop with a heat lamp positioned so they can warm themselves and then run off to cooler spaces. It will solve all your problems in one move.

Chicks really do not require a "brooder" for well being as long as they have a heat source.

Hmm I like this theroy, I might see what happens if I move mine out of the brooder during the day sometime.... I have been picking them up and taking them outside everyday to frolick in the grass.... they seem to love it!

 

[Buddy-O]

Yes this is our first time raising chickens!
No we don't have any older chickens to contend with!
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Buddy-O]

They are really starting to flap those wings...
How wide of a piece of wood?

 

[WindyHillFarm]

I like a 2x3 or wider piece of wood, and I put it wide side down so that they cannot knock it over.

 

[osheacourt]

It's my first time too. My three PBR's started roosting this week. They are three weeks old. I put a big branch in their brooder. They are hilarious to watch. They get all lined up, get to sleep, the someone falls off and wakes everyone up. Then they do it all over again. Chick TV is awesome! They are learning to be chickens.

 

[3riverschick]

There's no big rush to get chicks to roost. It's not some chicken "thang" they must do in order to be proper chickens. In the heavy breeds, wait till the keels have firmed up. Getting those breeds on roost too early as chicks can cause the soft cartilage in the keel ( breastbone) to grow crooked. In the heavy large breeds, wait till they are 6 weeks old. It won't warp their psyches or anything. If one wants to give them play time, then give them a chopped worm they can't choke on and watch them play "keep away" It's a lot of fun and normal chicken behavior. No leg injuries from hopping up and down at this age. Later if you want to teach them tricks, get the Karen Pryor's fun clicker training Poultry In Motion DVD set and have at it!
http://store.clickertraining.com/poinmo.html http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB1102
Best Regards,
Karen ( not Pryor)

 

[ccarver80]

Mine are 3-4 weeks old living in the main coop now with a heat lamp 3-4 feet from the floor, I built there main roost 4- 5' long 2x4's in a ladder fashion.

Every time i check on them at least one or two of them are just chilling on it. they have good instincts