Young Chicks Sleeping on Floor

[galanie]

I agree with the others that have said to just let them go up on their own eventually. But even if you want them to roost, isn't 4 feet a bit high to start out? Often the little ones will gladly hop on a roost much lower at first but not on the scary high one.

I will add that I knew a breeder that did just that. Furnished a low roost for the little ones and a higher one for the adults. Seemed to work well for them.

 

[raingarden]

I start chicks off at six inches. There will be nearby roosts at 1 ft, 2 ft, 4 ft and 6 ft (ladder style) so they can hop up to the next level as they develop and see fit.

 

[BeccaRecca13]

I just had a huddle pile in my coop.. to the point of 1 suffocating. Learned my lesson… going out sooner every day and picking them up onto the roost. I have the same height roosts and they fly up and down through out the day (so I know they can make it), this is my second flock, and my first flock had no problem. But man oh man, this group… they are 8 weeks old now and have been put on the roosts for about a week now, and STILL are on the floor in a pile. I’m scared to death about another one getting stuck on the bottom of the pile…
It was my cute little Cochin girl too… so it hurts a little. Lesson learned. Blocking off corners of the coop to not be piled into… trying to make the ladders easier to get up to the roosts. (That’s what my previous group used, and my big Brahma girls loved it).

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Thanks, your replies have shown me that this is a normal behavior, so I'm not going to worry about it. Our last coop was much smaller, and the roost bar was basically the only place to sleep, so that's where they slept. But this one is much bigger. I'll wait for them to go up, but like Folara said I hope they go up before or at least dont try to take to the nest boxes when I open them

Ah, i had the same exact concern. My girls slept in a cuddle puddle in the corner of their hen house wayyyy too long i thought. I would go outside at night and try to manually put them up but it was a huge ordeal. But guess what? one night I checked and all 6 were up on the roost. Not sure what changed, but the pros here all gave me piece of mind that as long as there is enough room, they will eventually roost. Roost time is SO dramatic for my girls. I have 5 hens now that can choose from 2 6ft roosting bars yet they all seem to want the same spot and they carry on and on every night. its super dramatic and makes me crazy! They have finally learned, after just under a year, that there is so much more room on the roosting bars and since have spread out and are content. (i think)! The way they carry on everynight tho, my goodness! Sometimes I will hear one making a purrring noise and have learned this is a voice to get everyone to "settle down and quite time now", so cute. I will go to the window sometimes and gently say "shhhhh, shhhhh" and they do settle down (kinda). I couldnt imagine life without chickens now. They are my best friends, shhhh, <3

 

[chfriedmam]

Ah, i had the same exact concern. My girls slept in a cuddle puddle in the corner of their hen house wayyyy too long i thought. I would go outside at night and try to manually put them up but it was a huge ordeal. But guess what? one night I checked and all 6 were up on the roost. Not sure what changed, but the pros here all gave me piece of mind that as long as there is enough room, they will eventually roost. Roost time is SO dramatic for my girls. I have 5 hens now that can choose from 2 6ft roosting bars yet they all seem to want the same spot and they carry on and on every night. its super dramatic and makes me crazy! They have finally learned, after just under a year, that there is so much more room on the roosting bars and since have spread out and are content. (i think)! The way they carry on everynight tho, my goodness! Sometimes I will hear one making a purrring noise and have learned this is a voice to get everyone to "settle down and quite time now", so cute. I will go to the window sometimes and gently say "shhhhh, shhhhh" and they do settle down (kinda). I couldnt imagine life without chickens now. They are my best friends, shhhh, <3

Ya, all 20 of mine are sleeping on their roosting bars now. I also just went in to clean one day and all the poop was on the poop trays!! Yay!!!! Except sometimes my Sicilian Buttercup, who I think is the very lowest on the pecking order. She doesn't use the ladder and sometimes she doesn't fly up well and gives up. I may adjust the ladder.

 

[Folara]

Such good news! I finally went out at night to peek on them recently, and 6 hens were squished together on about 4ft of roost (it's an 8ft long roost!), one hen was roosting in the pop door (always open) and one hen was sleeping in the nest box

I decided to add a second 8ft roost a little higher than the first and they took to it very well. Poop piles are more spread out now and the door sleeper is no longer, but the nest sleeper is still there. She's a pretty dominant hen so I don't know why she isn't on the higher roosts with the rest, but I think I'll start closing off the boxes at night until she can establish her place on the roost.

I just had a huddle pile in my coop.. to the point of 1 suffocating. Learned my lesson… going out sooner every day and picking them up onto the roost. I have the same height roosts and they fly up and down through out the day (so I know they can make it), this is my second flock, and my first flock had no problem. But man oh man, this group… they are 8 weeks old now and have been put on the roosts for about a week now, and STILL are on the floor in a pile. I’m scared to death about another one getting stuck on the bottom of the pile…
It was my cute little Cochin girl too… so it hurts a little. Lesson learned. Blocking off corners of the coop to not be piled into… trying to make the ladders easier to get up to the roosts. (That’s what my previous group used, and my big Brahma girls loved it).

I'm so sorry for your loss! Blocking off corners definitely sounds like the right plan to prevent such a dangerous pile. I was concerned about mine piling too since I would peek in and see one or two poke their heads up from underneath everyone else, but luckily they seemed to figure it out. They would all nap on the roosts during the day so I was surprised they didn't want to roost at night too - I think they were just a little braver in daytime!

 

[BeccaRecca13]

Such good news! I finally went out at night to peek on them recently, and 6 hens were squished together on about 4ft of roost (it's an 8ft long roost!), one hen was roosting in the pop door (always open) and one hen was sleeping in the nest box

I decided to add a second 8ft roost a little higher than the first and they took to it very well. Poop piles are more spread out now and the door sleeper is no longer, but the nest sleeper is still there. She's a pretty dominant hen so I don't know why she isn't on the higher roosts with the rest, but I think I'll start closing off the boxes at night until she can establish her place on the roost.


I'm so sorry for your loss! Blocking off corners definitely sounds like the right plan to prevent such a dangerous pile. I was concerned about mine piling too since I would peek in and see one or two poke their heads up from underneath everyone else, but luckily they seemed to figure it out. They would all nap on the roosts during the day so I was surprised they didn't want to roost at night too - I think they were just a little braver in daytime!

I wanted to update: since the 25th - my chicks are now roosting!! Woohoo! I only pick up blue jeans (which is my blue Cochin girl). I’m so happy. With corners blocked and a bigger ladder with less of an incline, they are GREAT! Only took 2 days with the corners blocked and ladder. Everyone caught on QUICK!

 

[raingarden]

I have a theory/suspicion that it is important chicks have places to hop up and down and practice going to roost as they are developing. In an instance where I did not give a group any structure or roost bars untill three weeks after they were fully feathered (about nine weeks total) they did not want to have anything to do with jumping or roosting. They huddled in a corner to sleep for a month or more after they would normally be roosting at night. I finally piled so much stuff in their pen that they couldn't even walk around without climbing and jumping. Once they got used to being up off the ground they decided they liked it and started roosting at night. Chicks raised by a free range hen instead of an incubator start practicing roosting at about four to five weeks. She will give in and finally let them get up under her every evening for a few more weeks and then let them get under her up on the roost until they just can't fit any more.