younger pullets wont roost

[lenanjer]

Hi Everyone,
I have 6- 9 month old chickens and 3 - 7 week old chickens who hatched from one of the first group. The littles have tried to roost but the elders knock them off. There is plenty of room. I have even added another roosting bar just a bit lower than the one the elders roost on but the littles wont use it. They are now sleeping in the nesting boxes. We have plenty of roosting bars. Will they grow out of this as they grow or should I block the nesting boxes? TIA

 

[3KillerBs]

After they go to bed, I take the ones in the nesting box out and put them on a roost every night for several nights and then they eventually just start roosting.

Same here.

I try to sit them near the more docile hens so they don't get picked on.

Some people put cardboard or plywood dividers on the roosts to make stalls so that groups can be separated from each other and feel safer.

I thought about that but my littles literally freak out when I try to get near them. Not sure what they'd do at nighttime. I might try. Thanks for the suggestion.

I go out with a red headlamp after full dark. I talk to them the entire time and instead of grabbing them around the wings I scoop them up on my wrist like big parrots. This even works with the biting broody -- but I do wear either long sleeves or gloves when moving adults because their toenails can be sharp.

The trick is to scoop them from behind. Press your wrist (or your hand for younger chicks), against the back of their legs just above the ankle and they'll instinctively step back onto your wrist. Then you can move them without all the panic that results from grabbing them around the wings.

 

[akf93]

I’m my minimal experience, they will get it in time! After they go to bed, I take the ones in the nesting box out and put them on a roost every night for several nights and then they eventually just start roosting. My bigs chilled after a bit with my littles and now they all roost intermingled. I’ve never had to block my boxes.

 

[aart]

Will they grow out of this as they grow or should I block the nesting boxes?

Yes.
That's the quickest way to break the sleeping in the nests habit.
If you do't have older birds, just leave them covered,
if you have older birds that are laying cover nests and hours before roosting time, then uncover after dark when you lock up.

 

[ChicFil- A]

Hi Everyone,
I have 6- 9 month old chickens and 3 - 7 week old chickens who hatched from one of the first group. The littles have tried to roost but the elders knock them off. There is plenty of room. I have even added another roosting bar just a bit lower than the one the elders roost on but the littles wont use it. They are now sleeping in the nesting boxes. We have plenty of roosting bars. Will they grow out of this as they grow or should I block the nesting boxes? TIA

Good day , I had that problem when I added 3 ISA reds to my existing flock, I put them in their own little brooder and let them acclimate to each other and they were knocked off roost and they were taught quickly to obey the order and it took some time for them to earn top bar privileges. It takes the existing flock to accept them just watch the process play out… have lots of things they can run under and avoid the bullying, but there’s not much you can do except give them a soft place to land

 

[akf93]

The trick is to scoop them from behind. Press your wrist (or your hand for younger chicks), against the back of their legs just above the ankle and they'll instinctively step back onto your wrist.

Never heard of this! Thanks for sharing! My poor birds.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any photos of your roost configuration? If the new roost is too close to the old one the older birds can still harass the younger ones.

I do want my chicks to roost so I'd personally block the nest boxes, but I haven't had issues so far with chicks not roosting. They follow the adults. The little one here are 4 weeks old:

 

[lenanjer]

I thought about that but my littles literally freak out when I try to get near them. Not sure what they'd do at nighttime. I might try. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[3KillerBs]

Never heard of this! Thanks for sharing! My poor birds.

I don't remember how I learned it. Just noticed it at some point when moving juveniles out of nestboxes.

 

[akf93]

I thought about that but my littles literally freak out when I try to get near them. Not sure what they'd do at nighttime. I might try. Thanks for the suggestion.

Mine freak out because they probably think a predator is getting them. But I just hold their wings down and put them on the roost and they settle down. Not sure if yours are doing the same as mine. Maybe someone with more experience than I can chime in with other thoughts.