[dilsdaisy]

Have three hens... Maggie a White Sussex who is around 2 yrs old ( an inherited chicken!) and Rita (Buff Orpington 7 months old) and BettyToo ( a Brahma about 7 months old)   the two younger girls are lovely and clean and roost at night on their roosts and do their doings on the floor beneath .. Maggie however is a different story and since we got her she has roosted sitting on the floor ( we have now given her a box to sit in  , which prob isn't a good idea in hindisght) and seems to do her poos and sits in it and so has a very dirty bottom   she keeps the rest of herself clean and has dust baths ..can we 'teach' her to roost at her age .. or is it just a case of keeping her clean with baths etc ( haven't tried this yet   .they have all been recently wormed and everything else seems okay but I am concerned about 'flystrike' in the warmer weather ...

[alancane]

I have had my girls about 8-9 months and they all refuse to roost on the bars. So every night 30 mins after getting dark we go out and as soon as they hear me coming, I can hear them getting up on to the roost bars unless it's cold and then I give them a little poke and up they go.

If I didn't go out, I am sure they wouldn't roost. But in interest of keeping clean and also nice clean eggs, I have found that I will be doing this until they are no longer with us - that I am resigned too. But it allows me to say goodnight anyway   

[dilsdaisy]

  love the image of them all panicking and rustling about getting on the roosting bars when they hear you coming..brilliant! ....think I might have to start giving it a go with Maggie altho she is a stroppy so and so 

[alancane]

At first I thought I would just leave them to do their thing, but Joyfull recommended me persevering with them in order to keep them and the eggs clean and to be honest I am glad I have, even if they are naughty girls!

It is quite funny hearing them move around as I tell them 'coming to check on you' as I stomp up the garden path... it's like they are saying to each other "quick! he's coming!". But when it's cold I am sure they are saying "you can try your best, but I ain't moving!".

But I always win and it's just a habit now and yours will get into the habit too.

[PaulineM]

Hi
One of my girls refused to roost and slept every night in her nestbox 
Out of the blue, about a week ago when I was checking them before putting the ramp up she was not in her nestbox, so I looked all around the stable and no sigh. Suddenly a little head peeped down and there she was on the roost bar and every night since. 
It only took her 7 months to catch on 

[Abacus]

Mine refuse to use the roost bars as well! I've tried everything but they still insist on sleeping in the nests....