[infowarrior]

   Just got my hens finally. Got ten and not long after putting them in the coop I noticed that they all went to the top perch and there's not even really enough room for them all on there!  I originally thought that my top perch would be too high but it seems like they all want to be up there.
   I've got three more perches lower down so hopefully they'll figure out they're there and start using them. Anyone else had this problem when introducing chickens to a coop??

                             Cheers.

[ehs284]

Yes, it seems normal - at least here . There are perches at different heights, but all except the massive Brahmas will try to squeeze onto the top one. Quite fun to watch, as, when the top one is full, a bird entering the coop will climb onto the bottom perch, look around and then launch itself into the row above. At least one bird is then knocked off and there is a general hoo-ha until by a miracle the birds are now all accommodated on the top perch. Sometimes you'll see the birds on the top perch puff up their feathers to try and make it look as if there's no room. Funny creatures. There is no point in making the top perch very high as this does not seem to make a difference and they are less likely to get hurt if they fall. They can be very clumsy and often misjudge distances so bumped legs and feet are common. We have a sloping floor which helps reduce the distance to fall (it also makes cleaning easier). Important to have enough space between perches so lower birds don't get covered in poo.

[GrannieAnnie]

They all head for the top perch as they all want to be top chook!  As they establish their new pecking order, you may find the ones lower in the order will end up on a lower perch.