[andy harris]

Hi guys
          I bought 4 blackrocks yesterday there about 8 weeks old .When i put them in the coop..  out of the box they came home in i put them on the roosting poles but when They went in the coop lastnight  i found them on the floor in a corner. anyone got any ideas how i can get them to roost on the poles please ?

[spikey_fridge]

mine all cuddle up in the nesting box. not sure how cos they are pretty big now. it hasnt affected the egg laying and i havent had any damaged eggs.

[BlueDaisy]

Roosting at such a young age can damage their bone formation - if they don't want  to roost I wouldn't force them
Sure I've seen another post about it on here somewhere...

[Cinderhills]

Mine did that too when I got them.  When they were ready to roost they did, so I wouldn't worry and don't force it.  It's amazing how they just work it out when they are ready.

[Daveravey]

My layers didn't start to roost overnight until they were about 24-26 weeks & my 9 week old growers have only started to use the outdoor roost occaisionally.

Some birds will use a roost overnight & some won't

[TheCaptain]

I spent hours putting in 'floating' perches in my mission to defeat Red Mite, it's genius involving chains and vaseline (a trial run for my dungeon).  3 of my 12 'original girls' use them, the rest perch on the nest boxes, in the nest boxes or just on the floor.  Numptys the lot of them.  My up and coming lot progressed onto the perches at about 18 weeks.

[OhLaLa]

Make sure their poles have the 4 corners rounded off (i.e. where they wrap their foot around the wood). A nice smooth perch with no rough corners is better for their feet.

Each night when it is dark and they have settled, gently pick them up and put them on their perches. After a few nights they will get the idea.

  

[doganjo]

Does it matter where they sleep?

[TheCaptain]

Does it matter where they sleep?

I don't think it does - just wish that they would use them and appreciate the time and effort I put into their 'Palace.' 

[doganjo]

I have a bench type shelf right along the long side of my shed. They obviously use that going by the poop that has to be cleared every day 

[OhLaLa]

Perching is the natural way for a bird to sleep. It helps prevent external parasites and keeps them from lying in their own droppings. You also don't want them to start sleeping in the nest boxes - these are for egg laying.
As a rough guide, there should be a minimum 20 cm of space per bird (30 cm if you have large birds), with a perch width of appx 4-5 cm, slightly rounded at the sides for ease of grasping.
The perch should ideally be placed higher than the nest boxes so that the chickens are not encouraged to sleep in the latter.
If there is more than one perch they need to be arranged in such a way that chickens are not directly below each other (because of their poop, and their pecking order).
The perches should be easy to remove for ease of cleaning. A droppings board beneath the perch is useful for catching droppings in such a way that they are easily removed by sliding out the board.

  

[Eve]

A droppings board beneath the perch is useful for catching droppings in such a way that they are easily removed by sliding out the board

A drip tray? Good idea!


Eve 

[doganjo]

Perching is the natural way for a bird to sleep

I know that is true, but if it is so natural why do people have to show them how to do it.

[novicesmallholder]

We have 32 ex bats and none will sleep on roosting poles. Just huddle up a corner together. Eggs are a bit dirty mind but - happy hens.

[northfifeduckling]

well, they don't get perches in the batteries - too much luxury...put me right if they do 
I think some cuddle up for comfort or warmth. If they change the habit from perch to nesting box it could be mites as they attack them from underneath the perches (no protection there)