My chickens are sleeping on the floor, should I be concerned?

[jww6419]

I have 3 hens, close to laying age(barred Holland, buckeye, and black australorp). I was just given the bird about a week ago. I'm having trouble getting the birds to sleep on their roost. The Holland and australorp want to sleep on the window and the buckeye sleeps on the floor of the coop. Last week I went out 3 nights and put them all on the roost. A cold front moved in over the weekend so I blocked the window to keep them from roosting and getting sick from cool night breeze. I also added a light to the coop, its a small coleman lantern about 8 inches tall it runs on 4 AA batteries and runs from 5pm until the batteries die, usually around midnight. It hangs under the poop tray. Now all the birds sleep on the floor of the coop. Last night I tried putting a few treats on the roost to try and entice them up but I don't think they ever found them. I live in south Arkansas to give an idea of weather, at night the temperature ranges from mid 30s to high 50s.The birds act fine, look great, and eat good, should I be worried about them sleeping on the floor? Is it necessary for them to sleep on roost? I am new to chickens so any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Kevin565]

I wouldn't be concerned. Some birds don't roost till they are older. Some just don't roost. It's defiantly nothing to stress over.

 

[aoxa]

I don't think it's necessary for them to sleep on roosts. Mine sleep on the floor when it is cold. Some sleep on the floor, some roost. It doesn't hurt them either way (unless they get pooped on).

 

[blkpoodles]

some chickens just sleep on the floor, i have nesting boxes and only my chicks sit in it and everybody else sleeps on the floor lol. you'll need to get a heat lamp, you can find those at your local walmart, home depto, lowes, you get the idea, your chickens will sleep where ever its comfortable for them

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[aoxa]

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You don't need a heat lamp.. This is actually worse for them than better..

 

[blkpoodles]

if you say so, i personally dont want my chickens freezing their butts off
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You don't need a heat lamp.. This is actually worse for them than better..

 

[Zoomom]

But what happens if there is a power outage in winter? How will you keep them at the same cozy temperature? It is hard for them to adapt suddenly to cold. It's better gradually.

My girls have been fine without extra heat in winter. They snuggle together at night, and their feather and down coats keep them cozy and warm. The coop is also very well insulated.

Another thing I would worry about it fire with a heat lamp. Be very very careful with that.

 

[Shayna]

Is the lantern for light only or heat? If it's just intended for light, I would look at solar powered christmas type lights. They come in white and there are many different styles. I found some cute ones on sale at Target over the summer and they work really well for keeping a little extra light in the evenings. I also added a window for moonlight / sunlight to shine through so it's not just a black box inside the coop. As long as you do what you can to block all drafts from coming in, I think they will be fine, but you can give them a smaller box or house within the coop for them to cuddle in if they're really cold. I've read that two small bales of hay with a blanket draped over them works good for chickens to enter in the coop to stay extra warm.

 

[blkpoodles]

we just went through the power outage, i have a pen set up in my basement where there's a wood stove, also we have a generator, we never had an issue with a fire by a heat lamp, we've used heat lamps for years. my heat lamps hang by a metal hook, not near the wood really, also there's clamps so you can clamp it to the coop
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[sambia62]

most of my girls 4 months old do not roost as of yet the all seem to like the floor right now for the most part a few of them roost I just let them do their own thing