Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: fifisparrow on November 02, 2006, 20:49
-
I have just become the very proud owner of three beautiful young ladies. They have a lovely coup and a nice garden to run around in once they have properly settled. The problem is they are not roosting but choosing to sleep in the nesting box of their coup. Is this normal? How and should I stop them from doing this? They are Rhode Island Red cross Sussexes. Nothing posh. I want them to be happy and if there's something I can doi to get them to roost on their perch I will. Please help.
-
Mine prefer to do this, the books suggest you should discourage it by shutting the boxes off and training them to perch.
-
Once its dark try lifting each bird onto the perches. They usually get the message fairly quickly.
They have probably not had perches in their runs from wherever you got them.
This is quite usual with young birds so dont worry even if they never use the perches.
-
hi there,
i have two hens that have never gone up on there perch to sleep, they have always slept in there nest boxes which is a pain cause there droppings go in there and i have to remove it everyday. i think they prefere comfort lol. or they have a phobia of the perch lol.
-
Thanks all of you for useful and speedy replies. I am going to try blocking off the nest box and encouraging them to roost by gently lifting them onto the perch but I won't worry now if they never roost. :)
Thanks for the help. :D
-
My chooks prefer the nest box to sleep in. I think I would too if I were given the choice:
comfy warm bed / sit on a stick :lol:
Just have to make sure to clean to poo out of the nest regularly to keep the eggs clean :D
-
Cheers Aunt Sally
Love your humour and sound advice. Thanks. :wink:
-
chooks will not roost on perches if the head hieght is to tight they like to be able to stretch thier necks up
-
mine go in the nest box...much more cosy!! if they are happy then i'm happy! does it matter where they sleep surely its up to them! :wink:
-
its a case of hygiene methinks , so long as the birds are safe. :D
-
hygien as in pooy eggs?
-
yes and mites etc etc
-
Agree re: red mite - they are minute red dots that feed on the chickens blood at night and are invisable during the day. They love dark crevasses and particulary perches -have a look with a torch when dark when you are more likely to see them - they can wreak havoc with your chickens health and they may not roost if the perch is infested.
-
a smearing of vaseline under the perch will detect these and " they dont like it up em mr mannering sir "
-
Thank you all for your comments. I will definitely keep an eye out for mites.
-
tip for you sparrow , if the birds are not laying take the nest boxes out and you can give them a scrub put them away under cover and the hens will have to roost then :wink:
-
the question to consider is the perch, is it higher than the nest box, it should be. at least as high as a standing bird, the next is have they room to reach the perch. the nest box should be a few inches above ground level preferbaly in a the dark with room to stand to lay the egg. my last nest box was made so tha the egg rolled out of sight as some of the girls got a taste for them. :D