will the teen girls find their way to the roost at night?

[Melody Hunt]

I would persist in putting them on the roost. The adults might have been bullying them off so ensuring they have enough space to spread out is important. How much roost space do you have overall, and how many bars? How many chickens total?

We have Seven 11 month old hens and 4 teens about 14 weeks old. 2 bars, one higher that the hens sleep on, one lower to the ground. probably 6 ft long (times 2)

 

[rosemarythyme]

We have Seven 11 month old hens and 4 teens about 14 weeks old. 2 bars, one higher that the hens sleep on, one lower to the ground. probably 6 ft long (times 2)

Wow, very similar to my set up and flock size. I assume the hens all use top bar so the younger ones can use the lower? How far away is the lower bar from the top, roughly?

 

[Melody Hunt]

Wow, very similar to my set up and flock size. I assume the hens all use top bar so the younger ones can use the lower? How far away is the lower bar from the top, roughly?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If you put them on the roost when it's good and dark, they'll likely stay put. Use a flashlight with a red light, or put red tape over the flashlight. They won't be able to see well enough to get down, and they'll stay where you put them. I would think that after two or three nights, they'll be roosting there on their own. Do try to put them all together, they still take a lot of comfort from snuggling together, and from one another's scent.

 

[MountainWoman73]

We don't allow the hens sleep in the nesting boxes.

Yeah, I hear you. I have too many boxes and my hens only lay in one, so it's fine if some of the others get pooped in for a little while. I haven't ever had a problem with adult hens wanting to sleep in the boxes. They all seem to prefer the roost eventually.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The teens are not interested in sleeping on the roost

Until mine mature enough to force their way into the pecking order mine don't sleep on the main roosts either. If they do they are probably going to get pecked. My pullets usually make that transition from immature to mature when they start laying.

but on the floor of the hen house.

Personally I don't care where mine sleep as long as it is predator safe and not the nests. I put in a juvenile roost, more on that later. I often have three or four different age groups in the coop. The adults sleep on the main roosts, the older juveniles sleep on the juvenile roost, and the others sleep on the coop floor separated by age group. I don't see the problem with them sleeping on the coop floor. Chicks in a brooder sleep on the brooder floor. A broody hen with young chicks don't roost but sleeps on the floor. Them sleeping on the floor doesn't bother me at all.

They'll get pooped on!

I understand the concern. Certainly sounds gross. I know I'm going to lose most people on this but in the photo below you can see where I use the top of my built-in brooder as a droppings board. But where the brooder doesn't reach I use bins to catch the poop, you can see them on the bottom right. This is the most popular place for the juveniles not using the juvenile roost to sleep, some in the bins some roosting on the bin sides. Do they get pooped on? Yes. Does that bother them? Obviously not. If it bothered them they could move anywhere else they want, including under the brooder. That's where the youngest usually sleep when I have four different age groups. Them being pooped on bothers you, it doesn't bother them. Can I tell by looking at them that they have ben pooped on? Almost never. The fluff up and shake or take dust baths to clean themselves. If it doesn't bother them it doesn't bother me but I do understand how gross that sounds.

View attachment 2464997

How do convince them to sleep on the roost where it is safer and warmer?

I mentioned a juvenile roost. You kind of have one. I integrate all the time and immature chickens sleeping in the nests was a problem. So I installed a roost higher than the nests. lower than the main roosts, and horizontally separated so the adults could not harass them. I let mine move to the juvenile roost when they want to, I don't try to manage that. If you want them to sleep up there move them after dark as others have said. But how dark is your coop? If there is enough light that they can see to jump back down they will. Do you need to make your coop darker. At that age if you are consistent it should not take long to train them to use that lower roost as long as the hens don't harass them. I have seen a hen leave her normal roosting spot to beat up juveniles trying to roost in the far corner of the main roosts. Hopefully you have enough separation that your hens won't do that.

Since we sometimes like photos (or find them gross) this shows my juvenile roost higher than the nests. The top of the nests are used as droppings boards. It's a horrible design as it is hard to scrape but it was an afterthought. You can see my brooder off to the right to get an idea how isolated it is from the main roosts.

View attachment 2465013

Will it hurt them to sleep on the sand?

After seeing where my broody hens sometimes take their chicks to sleep I don't see why. Do you have any specific concerns about that?

I love your responses, @Ridgerunner, they're always so practical.

 

[Melody Hunt]

Go out just before it is totally dark. Put any bird that is not on a roost ON. Put each one in the same spot. If they jump down put them back up. Every night same spot. Might take 2 weeks for them to understand. Chickens develop habits pretty quickly. Might take only a couple of night. Don't let them sleep in the nest boxes. They need to know that nest boxes are for laying eggs. Not unless you want to do the "hunt" every day for eggs. Or you find them laying of the roost at some point with broken eggs and the possibility of egg eating.

Again NO sleeping in the nest boxes. They are for laying eggs only. Every night same spot over and over and over. They will get the hint. I might even be tempted to go back in a few minutes later and check on them. On the roost same spot every night. It's like the Frame oil filter. You can pay me now or you can pay me later later usually cost more. If you don't start training them now you will be cleaning nest boxes and putting in new bedding, hunting for eggs losing eggs to laying off roost or even on the coop floor stepping on them when you go in in the morning, ETC. And all of this in the cold winter weather. Make things easy for yourself down the road. Good luck. Don't give up you can and will win.

ETA: I close all doors and use a flashlight behind me to catch my birds. They can't see in the dark so if they are going in after dark they can't get up. I sing a lullaby to my birds and check crops, or feet. or vents as I sing to them. Easier to do in the semi darkness.

ooh, thank you. We cover the nesting boxes when one of the hens gets broody, and have been doing the same when the teen girls started sleeping in them.

 

[Melody Hunt]

Good, you don't want them to get accustom to doing so. Once it gets dark I would put them up on the roost. I would put them a poll lower than the big girls so they can learn where to sleep and go themselves. If you put them with the big girls they likely won't be allowed to gp up there themselves. Do this for a few nights till they start jumping up by themselves.

ok, good help