What can I do if......

[Chicken0Boy]

Quote:
That is true! I guess I will just have to expirament with it.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

bump!

 

[tennesseeckn]

My SLW's wouldn't roost at night, either. What was really odd was that they LOVED the roosts in their brooder. But when we moved them out to the coop they refused to use a roost at ANY level. Since these were my first chickens I became completely obsessed and would go out every night and move their little booties to the roost. They would squawk and beat me to death with their wings, but I prevailed. They eventually started going up themselves (probably muttering to themselves about the crazy treat-lady).

I have a new batch, now. They are eight weeks old and sometimes sleep on a roost and sometimes they sleep in the wood chips. I figure eventually the peer pressure will make them use roosts all the time.

 

[mulewagon]

I trained mine to roost because I wanted them sleeping up high before I installed the nest boxes. My previous flock slept in the nest boxes, which was disgusting.

It's worked out well - they love their roosts (slender tree trunks), and the nest boxes are immaculate.

(Also, I wanted them off the floor because it's just dirt, and water seeps in the edges. And all the references say it's bad for chickens to get wet... The dopey birds hadn't read the literature, though!)

 

[magicpigeon]

Quote:
Tell me about it...

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Thanks for all the replys! It sounds like I am gonna have to train them by going out evey night and putting them on roost...and for the nest boxes use golf balls and possibly make them darker!

Does that sound right?

 

[abhaya]

silkies dont often roost. The rest might be following thier lead

 

[redonthehead]

Can't help with the roost question, but as for teaching them to use the nests we took 2 eggs per nest and my 6 year old wrote "cat" on them with a sharpie... that was all it took. We put the "old" eggs in the nests for about a week and they all seemed to figure it out no problem. Then once they had it figured out we got rid of the old eggs that were marked. We were going to feed them to the cat (hence the cat's name on them!) but decided not to...

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Quote:
Lol I migth try thatget some straw..

 

[loundrew]

My son is in charge of the Girls (for the most part) but he spent many nights heading out after dark to move them up to their roosts, eventually they learned or gave in. As for the nesting boxes, a couple plastic easter eggs in a muted color seemed to do the trick for pointing the Girls in the right direction there. Although we have a Silkie also, and she marches to her own tune and lays in the yard.