What are they doing?

[chickcrazy1]

Hi, I'm new to raising chickens and new to this forum. I have 26 Golden Laced Wyandottes, started with day old chicks about 2 months ago. I can't figure out their night-time behavior. We have two ladder-type roosting places with sufficient room for all of them, but they insist on crowding in the nesting boxes to sleep for the night. I boarded up the boxes so they moved to sleeping on top of them. I blocked that area off so they can't get up there so they slept in a pile on the pine chip covered floor in a corner by the nesting boxes. I thought perhaps they were cold so they slept in a pile for warmth. Our nights have been in the 60's. So I opened the nesting boxes again and that is where they are sleeping now. They sit on the roosting ladders during they day, so I can't figure out why they won't sleep on them at night. I don't want them to become used to sleeping in the nesting boxes for obvious reasons. Any suggestions or explanations will be greatly appreciated.

 

[GitaBooks]

Welcome to BYC and the wonderful world of chickens!

My chicks do the same thing. They love nest boxes for months, especially if they don't have a momma hen to show them how and where to perch. They like the comfort of the nesting boxes of being snuggled together. They like to sleep on the floor or on low perches until they get a little older. During the winter my rooster will even sleep in the nest boxes! However, when it is hot or average weather, they usually sleep up as high as they can be.

I hope this helps! Best of luck!

 

[aart]

Yes, break them of the habit of sleeping in the nests...bad habit, poopy eggs.
Better that they sleep on the floor rather than the nests...at 2 months they are still a bit young.

Do you have 26 feet of roost length total, 1 foot per bird for them to get settled?
I use roosts all at the same level to eliminate height fights.

I would try to put them on the roosts after dark, pick them up with wings pinned and place their feet securely on the roost hold them there for a few seconds until they are steady then slowly let go.
Might have to do it for a week or so, but eventually they will figure it out.