Pullets not using roost bars

[Fetz]

Hi all,

First time chicken owner here. Our chicks are now 5 weeks old. We put them in their coop about 1.5 weeks ago. They all seem very healthy and we haven't had any major issues so far. The coop is a converted barn stall and we built a run off the back.

Our only problem is that all 19 of them cram onto the ledge in front of the pop door to roost at night instead of using the roost bars we made. Before that they were roosting in front of the nest boxes (out of the camera frame). We have seen them on the roost bars from time to time, including the very top bar, but they never stay there long. We put a tarp underneath to catch poop but they're making a huge mess on the ledge every night, which is really the only reason we have an issue with it.

Are they cold? It's been pretty hot the last two weeks but nightly lows have started to dip back down to 60-70⁰F.

Is there something about the roost bars that they don't like? Too steep, to wide, is the tarp an issue?

Or are they just being chickens?

 

[JaclynSunnyvale]

It took my pullets a few weeks to acclimate to the roosting bars. Even though they watched the older hens it still took some time.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

They're just young. As they get older and bigger the roosts will look more attractive.

 

[The Coop Crew]

My girls are 8 weeks old and don’t roost yet. They will during the day but they still like to snuggle on the floor to sleep. I know some people will place them on the roosting bar to help them understand but I’m just letting my girls do their thing!

 

[Dominique King]

From what I have seen in the picture is that you are using boards as roosts which is not comfortable for them. I would suggest using wooden dowels or smoothing off the edges of 2x2 to make it more comfortable. I use 2x2 with the edges smoothed out. When my first pullets 3 years ago laid by the coop door for the first week and a half until they used the roosts I mentioned to you.

 

[Dominique King]

I meant 4x4

 

[Dominique King]

Maybe.

 

[Penpal]

If that ladder looking thing is the roost bars, then the birds on the upper roosts will poop onto the birds on the lower roost. 18" apart horizontally is what is recommended. I would put something on the ledge they are sitting on so they can't sit there.

 

[Dominique King]

If that ladder looking thing is the roost bars, then the birds on the upper roosts will poop onto the birds on the lower roost. 18" apart horizontally is what is recommended. I would put something on the ledge they are sitting on so they can't sit there.

I agree with Penpal. That is something you should do. Then again larger chickens need more space than smaller ones. But if you have a mixed breed flock with bigger chickens, you should make the roosting space bigger.

 

[olivigus]

They're young still. My 7-week old pullets just started roosting this week. I have a 2 x 2 with rounded edges in the little coop they share with their mama. She actually tried to get them to roost on it when I put the perch in there 2 weeks ago, hopping up to show them, but they didn't want to do it yet, so she came down and they all slept gathered around her on the floor for another week or so. Then this week they were suddenly all up on the roost one night, so just give them some time. My main coop has 2 x 4s for the big girls to roost on, but when they're young the 2 x 2 works better for their little feet.

I'd also second the advice to space out the roosts, and you might want to give them some more top-level options. We started out with ladder roosts in the corner, but everyone always wanted the top perch. I eventually added three 2 x 4s spaced out across the top of the coop at the same height, so everyone could be up high, which cut down on the nighttime jostling for position considerably. (Although now they bicker over who gets to be on the front roost--chickens always seem to need some kind of status marker!) They use the ladder roosts to get up there.