When will my chickens start roosting?

[Dona Worry]

Interesting, both my purchased, raised by me chicks, and my feral raised by momma chicks started roosting at the same age: 4 weeks.
I have a ladder roost, that may have something to do with it.
The birds that I got at an older age, 3 pullets and the white cockerel, never made it to the highest roost, which is not pictured here. All 4 of them were raised without a roost until 3+ months.

 

[aart]

It's too close because it's on a diagonal. Ideally you want 12" at least to the wall. Also appears to be too short for number of birds - again you want about 12" per bird if possible.

Ditto Dat^^^
....and they are going to poop all over that heater

 

[BrandonVercnocke]

Ditto Dat^^^
....and they are going to poop all over that heater

They already have haha I have decided to take the overwhelming opinion and reserve the heaters usage for those few weeks in December-January when it gets its coldest here. I have left it off for the roosting practicum over the last two nights and all is good.

 

[HERSHORTNESS]

i found that if my chicks couldn't see because it was too dark inside coop when they went to bed they would not get up on the roost. when i turned my flashlight on to check on them, they hopped up there. I also added a poop hammock later on and it threw them off their game, so when it was dark there were a few that huddled on the bottom. Now they are used to the change and they roost on their own before it gets too dark. They are all 8 weeks old and have been roosting for a while now.

 

[Grits&Eggs]

Mine roosted at around 4 weeks, they huddled on the same thin roost (mostly), and usually ended up pushing each other off for several minutes, it was so cute. Once I moved them to the big coop, they didn't roost immediately and I would have to place them on the roost after dark. After a couple days, they finally roosted by themselves... I agree with the others, they were warm enough huddling on the branch, and, they won't even touch each other anymore - they are 25 weeks!

 

[BrandonVercnocke]

Added two more roosts yesterday. One in the run and another in the coop. They all slept on the highest roost coop last night(the one the water is hanging from)

 

[aart]

Build it and they will roost...and poop on anything underneath

Good job, keep observing and adjusting/re-doing things.

 

[BrandonVercnocke]

Now that they have vertical access this is where I find them

 

[springvalley123]

That's exactly what my current turkens did when I opened up a wall for ventilation and put up mesh (predator protection) without putting up screening/shade to make them feel safe. If you cover that opening with shade cloth I promise they'll feel safe and use the roost bar in front of the opening. This is what I was talking about in my previous response.

 

[aart]

Now that they have vertical access this is where I find them
View attachment 1545413

OhBoy, those chickens....SMH.
What is that ledge there, looks wider than the standard wall top?
Is it outside the coop?
Might need to block that off, unless you don't mind and accumulation of poop up there.