What Age do Chicks start to Roost?

[Ironmaiden]

I have a 1x1 kind of straddled in the brooder for my 2 1/2 week old EE's. They love it.

 

[emilysteng]

My two chicks were practicing roosting on some low branches a few days ago during a hot afternoon. They were born the 18th or 19th. They're wild (feral) birds, probably OEGB. At night I'm locking them up with mom so they probably still sleep under her though.

 

[Judy]

Some of mine roosted early as described in other posts here, or just played or practiced on the roost. Others did not roost at night until they were close to laying age.

 

[Broodica]

My 4 week old chicks have a 2x4 in their brooder and love to stand on it, but when they sleep they still collapse on the shavings in the 'Chicken Meets Godzilla' pose.....flat on the ground with head stretched out and turned to the side. Cracks me up when I see them....but at least I don't have a heart attack like the first time I saw them like that!

 

[gryeyes]

Most of mine will Play Big Chicken and roost on the roost bars (branches) during the day, but at night they're still content to pile up in the Dead Chicken poses on the floor of the coop. The only YOUNGSTER who learned to roost at night is my first GrandChick, Samanatha, hatched by broody Buffy. Buffy taught Sam to roost. If Sam wanted to be next to Buffy at night after Buffy got tired of spending her nights on the floor of the A-Frame "Broody Mansion" coop, then Sam darned well better learn to jump to the roost and stay there all night with her.

All the other "me-raised" chicks didn't actually roost on the bars at night until they were around 16 weeks old. Samantha was on the roost bar by 9 weeks.

 

[Luke13:34]

I had a branch in the brooder about 5" up that they loved to roost on from about two weeks old when they could reach it. Since moving them to the coop, they have been ignoring the roost in there and just piling up in a corner for bedtime. Occassionally I do see them just sitting on the coop roost during the day, though.

 

[maggiemooscluckers]

My chicks are 5 weeks old. During the day they are on the roost quite often but at night they resort to acting like babies. They have to be put inside the coop and then they just huddle in a corner and go to sleep. "Everything in good time" I keep telling myself!

 

[SassyKat6181]

I caught my 2 week olds on their 1"x1" roost today.....sound asleep with heads hanging down towards the floor. Funny!

 

[kitchwitch]

Mine are 2 weeks old and I have one that "roosts" on the water dish. She will sit up there all day but when bedtime comes around, they all sleep on the floor of the brooder.

 

[Chickens in the Grove]

Mine started trying to "roost" on my fingers at about a week, so I gave them a stick. At a week and a half two of my Belgian d'Anvers are roosting and my third (who I think is a roo!) likes to sit on top of cardboard boxes