[Janet Dedman]

I am new to chicken keeping and I am wondering why my three girls seem to want to roost as high as possible.  They have a lovely house with a perch - the house is raised on legs so it is about 5' off the ground already.  Instead of going inside up the ramp they perch on the roof, or on the fence (6' high) and tonight I opened the lid of the house to give them more head room when roosting and we found them lined up on the edge of the lid. I know birds normally roost in trees, but I can't supply a tree yet and anyway there is the small problem of Mr Fox -HELP please

[Fire2920]

Our hens are the same, we have put up plenty perches in the hen house but they just use them as steps to get to the top perch. Then they all huddle on it.

Maybe with no one above them they know they can't be hit by falling poo      

[muntjac]

they will roost when they are ready , if the birds are huddling up they are only  keeping warm its natural for them to climb to the highest perch..also  check the place for draughts ... remember to shut up at night   ..... mind ours are coming and going with the door open in scotland ,,,,, tuff chucks up here u see    

[Porffor]

should perches be the same height then? to have full use? i was planning a low and high perch in our new henhouse, but if it's better i'll put two in the same height.