When do chicks begin to roost?

[littlelemon]

My 8 chicks are almost 3 months old. I have recently combined them in the coop with my two hens. I thought that once they were in there they would begin to roost at night, but they still just pile up on each other in the corner of the coop(in the droppings pit

). I didn't think that I would need to show them how to roost. In fact, I actually put one of our young roos in with the hens a week before the others went in, and he began to roost at night with the hens. Once I combined them all though, he went right back to sleeping on the floor with the others. What gives?

 

[MissPrissy]

You can go out at night and put them on the roost. Eventually they will get the idea. When we raise chickens we become the big chicken so we are left to teach them what to do and how to act.

 

[smnytx]

I didn't know any better, and put a little roosting stick (meant for songbirds - found it at Pet Smart) in my chicks' brooder. They figured it out quickly. They are now 18 days old and spend a lot of their time on it. They're in a cage on the back porch now, and I added a second one (stepped up a little higher). I caught my alpha-pullet flying from the roost to the top of the feeder.

I have no idea if there's a "too young" for roosting. My girls love it, and will also sit on a finger or on top of my kid's head.

 

[smnytx]

I didn't know any better, and put a little roosting stick (meant for songbirds - found it at Pet Smart) in my chicks' brooder. They figured it out quickly. They are now 18 days old and spend a lot of their time on it. They're in a cage on the back porch now, and I added a second one (stepped up a little higher). I caught my alpha-pullet flying from the roost to the top of the feeder.

I have no idea if there's a "too young" for roosting. My girls love it, and will also sit on a finger or on top of my kid's head.

 

[littlelemon]

Quote:
Thank you. I went in and put them on the roost last night, and they stayed there (except for our runt, who jumped right off). I don't know if they slept there, but I am willing to place them on the roost at night until they get it. I don't like them sleeping in the droppings pit under the hens!

 

[littlelemon]

Quote:
I used a broomstick in my chick tractor before I moved them to the big girls coop. They would sit on it and play, but never sleep on it. I thought it was a maturity thing.

 

[hipmarye]

If they don't have a way to access the roost they will stay on the ground. You may need two poles so they can hop from one to the other. We had ours at and angle and they could get to so they huddle together in the corner. Also, make sure there is 18 inches of length per bird.

 

[littlelemon]

They are roosting now. I did as the other poster suggested and placed them on the roost each night. They got the hang of it really quickly.

Do they really need 18" per bird? Mine all huddle together to keep warm and they seem to have plenty of room. I have 10 birds(soon to be 9) and 2 seperate roosts which equal 7 feet of roost together. According to my calculations 7 feet is only enough room for 4.5 birds! 18" seems a bit excessive to me.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

We have two hen houses one for the adults and one for the chicks. We have lower roost where the chicks are and they start using them early I would say around 3 weeks old.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
I did a very similar thing. I had my new baby chicks in a card board box and just broke off the bottom of a wooden pants hanger and stuck it through the corners of the box, very low, to make perches for them. They began using them immediately and they were only a few days old.

Later when they were moved to a hutch that had a roost they naturally used it and when in the run, they use the low bushes and tree limbs. I believe its naturally instinctive for them to roost - most that are raised in brooders without roosts just haven't learned how to use them.