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Post by duncan on Aug 20, 2018 22:57:40 GMT -5
Hey, all! I've had chickens before and never run into this problem. I've got 12 hens and a rooster, about 7 months old (the hens are laying). And, they won't roost. I've got sticks up in the hen house, but they sleep all piled up in one of the laying beds. Any ideas?
Thanks!
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Post by dawg53 on Aug 21, 2018 4:56:40 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum Duncan.
I had that problem with this new batch of chicks I got earlier this year. They crowded into nesting boxes or slept in a corner next to a nesting box and that's where they slept over night. I quickly nipped it in the bud by boarding up the nesting boxes with scrap plywood I had laying around.
Then they crowded up in a corner at the opposite end of the coop until one of them got the bright idea to hop up on the roost and perch for the night. Eventually the rest of them finally perched on the roost, but they still crowd together as I type this. I havnt intervened since they are roosting and are just now starting to spread out on the roost on their own. Since it's getting close for them to start laying eggs, I've removed the plywood from the nest boxes and so far so good.
One thing you might consider is lowering the roosts. I use 2x2x8 non pressure treated wood from Lowe's as a roost bar. I sanded it down to eliminate splinters and burrs to prevent bumblefoot. The roost is about 6" up off the floor, it helps preventing leg injuries for standard and large breed birds when they hop down off the roost. It only takes one bird to roost on the perch at night, and as you know, the others will eventually do the same.
I currently have 7 birds in my main coop which is 8'L x 4'W. The roost runs lengthwise and I added a 4' roost widthwise at the same height at the opposite end from the nest boxes, and that's where they crowd at.
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Post by duncan on Aug 21, 2018 9:42:42 GMT -5
Thanks, dawg. Great ideas!
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Post by seminolewind on Aug 21, 2018 11:39:40 GMT -5
Lowering the roost is a great idea. I usually offer mine an easy roost at 4 weeks old and by 8 weeks they are all roosting. It will come.
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Post by Sylie on Aug 21, 2018 22:40:35 GMT -5
Mine have never roosted and personally, I don't see a problem with it. They cuddle up together in the same spot in the corner on the floor on cold nights and sleep apart on the warm ones. They had a roost for about 2 yrs and none of them ever used it, not once. They have an actual shelf that one of them will sleep on occasionally (it's TECHNICALLY the roof of the nest boxes) but for the most part, they just sleep on the floor in a corner.
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Post by dawg53 on Aug 22, 2018 4:28:00 GMT -5
Chickens sleeping on the floor lay in their feces at night which isnt good. It can cause footpad dermatitis as well as skin scalding from urates.
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Post by seminolewind on Aug 22, 2018 10:48:26 GMT -5
I like laying a 2x4 on the ground sleeping area for the birds to stand on-and they do!
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Post by duncan on Aug 22, 2018 19:02:06 GMT -5
I threw a bunch of scrap wood in the laying bed, and they jumped right up on the roost. Problem solved.
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Post by Sylie on Aug 22, 2018 23:58:52 GMT -5
lay in their feces at night? I scoop the coop every night, isn't that what everyone does? Maybe I'm neurotic...
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Post by dawg53 on Aug 23, 2018 5:11:38 GMT -5
lay in their feces at night? I scoop the coop every night, isn't that what everyone does? Maybe I'm neurotic... I'm usually in bed at night, just like the chickens zzzzzzzzz LOL. Since birds poop while they sleep, I clean out the coops first thing in the mornings after they're out of the coops doing their thing, usually eating and pooping more lol. |
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Post by maryellen on Aug 23, 2018 18:15:57 GMT -5
I scoop the nest boxes every morning and night, but when i go to bed the silkie goes into the nest box to sleep.. and poops during the night in it lol
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Post by Sylie on Aug 23, 2018 22:29:27 GMT -5
lay in their feces at night? I scoop the coop every night, isn't that what everyone does? Maybe I'm neurotic... I'm usually in bed at night, just like the chickens zzzzzzzzz LOL. Since birds poop while they sleep, I clean out the coops first thing in the mornings after they're out of the coops doing their thing, usually eating and pooping more lol. I don't usually have time in the morning so I do it right before they go to bed at night, nice fresh clean bed to sleep in. I had my husband build a temporary roost last night to see if I could get my girls to sleep on it (after 4 yrs now you have me worried....) and closed up the nest boxes with plywood, trying to force them to the roost. Result....nope, they slept on the floor in the other corner. Maybe the roost isn't high enough? I only had him make it about as high as their heads. Maybe I need to just screw 2x4's catty corner in every corner lol |
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Post by dawg53 on Aug 24, 2018 5:56:38 GMT -5
I understand Sylie, I'm glad you get it cleaned out and that's always a good thing. Try lowering the roost to about 5-6 inches up from the floor, it should entice them to naturally and instinctively perch. Once they get used to it, then you can raise it up some more if you wish.
The reason I clean my coops out first thing each morning is that my young birds like to go inside scratching around in the shavings scattering poop and making a mess in general. They are doing this because they are at point of lay. They'll be laying eggs soon and they are instinctively making nests in the bedding and scratching bedding out of the nest boxes. I've always called them the "brat pack" and it still applies lol.
As for my older Barred Rocks, one of them likes to go inside the coop and scratch around just for the heck of it. She's probably looking for bugs but she's not smart enough to know there arnt any in there. I cant block the door to prevent her from making a mess in there because they have to have access to the nest box to lay eggs.
More importantly, poop and soiled litter attract roaches, flies, beetles etc... and can be a hotbed for capillary worms. Keeping everything as dry as possible is best. Many of these insects are vectors for internal parasites and no telling what else.
Alot of folks like to use the deep litter method which can be detrimental to chickens especially in warm or hot/humid areas in this country. I dont know of anybody that does the deep litter method down here in the south, mold and fungus spores are a problem and dangerous to chickens. There's a lot of that happening in homes down here causing serious health problems to people.
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Post by seminolewind on Aug 25, 2018 12:59:48 GMT -5
I'm usually in bed at night, just like the chickens zzzzzzzzz LOL. Since birds poop while they sleep, I clean out the coops first thing in the mornings after they're out of the coops doing their thing, usually eating and pooping more lol. I don't usually have time in the morning so I do it right before they go to bed at night, nice fresh clean bed to sleep in. I had my husband build a temporary roost last night to see if I could get my girls to sleep on it (after 4 yrs now you have me worried....) and closed up the nest boxes with plywood, trying to force them to the roost. Result....nope, they slept on the floor in the other corner. Maybe the roost isn't high enough? I only had him make it about as high as their heads. Maybe I need to just screw 2x4's catty corner in every corner lol Maybe you could put roosts up at varying heights and see if they like one.  |
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Post by seminolewind on Aug 25, 2018 13:01:03 GMT -5
I understand Sylie, I'm glad you get it cleaned out and that's always a good thing. Try lowering the roost to about 5-6 inches up from the floor, it should entice them to naturally and instinctively perch. Once they get used to it, then you can raise it up some more if you wish. The reason I clean my coops out first thing each morning is that my young birds like to go inside scratching around in the shavings scattering poop and making a mess in general. They are doing this because they are at point of lay. They'll be laying eggs soon and they are instinctively making nests in the bedding and scratching bedding out of the nest boxes. I've always called them the "brat pack" and it still applies lol. As for my older Barred Rocks, one of them likes to go inside the coop and scratch around just for the heck of it. She's probably looking for bugs but she's not smart enough to know there arnt any in there. I cant block the door to prevent her from making a mess in there because they have to have access to the nest box to lay eggs. More importantly, poop and soiled litter attract roaches, flies, beetles etc... and can be a hotbed for capillary worms. Keeping everything as dry as possible is best. Many of these insects are vectors for internal parasites and no telling what else. Alot of folks like to use the deep litter method which can be detrimental to chickens especially in warm or hot/humid areas in this country. I dont know of anybody that does the deep litter method down here in the south, mold and fungus spores are a problem and dangerous to chickens. There's a lot of that happening in homes down here causing serious health problems to people. Absolutely. A breeding ground for all kinds of mold and bacteria. |
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