when to roost ???

[netty74]

I have 3 day old baby chicks in a brooder right now , in 2 weeks i will be putting them in my coop . Should i put a small roost in the brooder box at some point ??? Will they naturally know what to do when it comes time for them to roost ?? Thanks

 

[angel8035]

Just FYI, most people keep chicks in a brooder until they are fully feathered, at least 4-6 weeks. If you put them out too early, they can catch a chill and die. At the very least, you will need to provide them with a draft free environment with a heat lamp until they are at least 6 weeks old. 2 week old chicks need to have about an 85-90 degree temperature area available to them. And if you plan to put them out at 2 weeks, you won't need a roost in the brooder because they are so small at that point that they won't need one.

 

[netty74]

Sorry I should have been more specific , they will be in a larger brooder inside the coop untill they are feathered . Right now they are in my house in a small brooder

 

[angel8035]

Oh okay. Then I would give them a roost around 2-3 weeks old. Sometimes I just take a 2x4 and set it upright on the ground. They don't have to be very high up.

 

[jdoane]

My 5 chicks are just 2 weeks old and already perching. They don't sleep on it but they all love getting up on things. Two get up on the feed and water bottles too. So I would definitely recommend providing a perch sooner than later. One of mine was on the perch before she was even a week old. Our brooder is made from our old kids moveable play area made of 4 gates and I could stick a big dowel through the holes in the gates.

 

[aggiemae]

All chicks seem to like to get up higher than the other chicks. If you give them branches or 2x4's to hop up on then they won't knock over the feeder and the water as often.

 

[netty74]

Thanks guys so much for your help ! These are my first batch of chicks .

 

[txnative]

I put a small log in my brooder when my chicks were very young and they started using it right away. As they grew I had to find a bigger piece of wood for them, and that worked fine, too. Once I moved them to their coop they had no problems getting up no the bars. It did take about 10 days for them to figure out they needed to be in their little house at night, though, but now they go in without my having to do anything to them.

 

[OScarlet]

My son built a roost with some scrap wood and a branch which our chicks like, but what they really like is a 6x4x2" patio block. They stand on it all day.