[CattinJ]

A daft question but we have a chicken who doesnt seem to like perching at night. she prefers to bed down in the straw/bedding so we've removed the perch.
Is this normal?

[poultrygeist]

Hi CattinJ.

Are these ex-batts ?

If so, they won't be used to perching so you may have to lift her onto the perch after dark and after a few nights, she may get the hang of it. We have a couple (not ex-batts) who rarely perch.
It may be that they feel intimidated by the top hens already percing.

Rob

[CattinJ]

hello. Yes she is and she's isolated permenantly from the others at night as she was being picked on. She seems happy not perching so we planned just to leave her to her own devices...what do you think?

[woodside farm]

I'd leave her, I have quite a few chickens who prefer not to perch.

Michelle xx

[dizzylizzie]

Hi, i have ex-batts, and they dont know how to perch. Once they have built up some strength, you could try, as Rob says to lift her onto the perch. I, like you have left mine to make their own minds up. I feel their life has been awful up till when they came home, if they want to sleep in a comfy nest box, they can. I just make sure i poop scoop every morning when i get them up, as they tend to poop lots in the night and this just keeps on top of it, also when they go in to lay, you are not going to get dirty eggs. One thing to remember, keep a close eye on their bottoms, especially in summer. It they are getting dirty from sleeping on their poop, just give them a gentle rinse, as if they get smelly or matted it can attract fly's.....and fly strike is something you dont want! I have added to my flock and the neww girls are not ex-batts ...they all perch, and have shown a feww of mine how to do it. its very funny opening the coop on a morning now .....they are all lined up in rows...very sweet

[CattinJ]

Thank you all- glad we are doing the right thing..she's a clean little hen and easy to clear up after her in the mornings which helps!

[8doubles]

There can be a fair amount of pecking going on at bedtime some of it quite vicious pecks to the head as the dominant birds show who is 'ruling the roost.'
 It sounds like your hen is trying to avoid this by staying off the perch , the next lowest will be getting most of the aggro now.
I don`t think there is much you can do, it`s just hens being hens.

[bee]

My two - hybrids - used to perch in their ark, but now they have straw on the floor of their new henhouse they will not perch, however often I life them up. They just get off, and after a month of this I've  about given up. But does it damage them not to perch? I poo pick each day but it's not so easy when it's squashed! Amazingly, they seem to stay pretty clean underneath.