not using the perch

C

clucking chicks

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My girls have a lovely coop that they are happy to take themselves off to at night. For the first time this evening I opened the door to check what they were up to (I have been scared they would rush out and I would have to chase them round the garden in the dark up till now!!!!!!!!!!!) I was very suprised to see the ladies not sitting on their perch but laying together in a big feathery bundle on the bedding of their coop. Unfortunately, both their bottoms are hanging over the edge of the nesting box which explains why there is so much poo in there in the morning! Do I need to get Doris and Elsie to sleep on the perch or can they stay as they are? :roll:
 
You don't really want poo in the nest box. They may have never had a perch before so don't use it. Just lift them up onto it for a few nights and they should start perching on their own. We've had some that instinctively perch and some that need encouragement. Problems occur when it gets dark suddenly and they can't see the perch properly on occasions.
 
What sort of girtls are they? Some of the bigger, heavier breeds such as Orpingtons do prefer not to perch, but anything smaller and lighter should be able to do so comfortably. I agree with Chris that the last thing you want in the nestbox is poo - I'd do what he suggests about teaching them to perch, and also maybe put a sheet of newspaper in the nestbox overnight, which can be removed with any droppings early in the morning. If they don't perch they're also sitting in any droppings which don't finish up in the nestbox, which isn't nice either.
 
Thank you both for the advice. I have just nipped out and am pleased to report that both Doris and Elsie are sitting on their perch. :D Who said that chickens aren't bright? They picked that up in no time!
Katy
 
I have been astounded at how intelligent some of our birds are -not all, some have incredibly stupid moments. Our pet cockerel pecks us on the leg to say he wants a cuddle! All the hens recognise that the green feed scoop probably has some grain in it -most ignore the grey one completely.
 
When I'm in the run with them, they peck my shoelaces (must remind them of worms) my shirt buttons, and one of them, the legbar, has a fascination for my yellow rubber gloves when I'm cleaning up. The two youngsters have just learned to follow the others between the main enclosed run and the grass run, when I shake the treats box, which has involved learning to get out of the run door, ie going back a few steps AWAY from me when I'm outside, through the door, and then back along the path, instead of getting stuck in the corner calling through the wire. Pretty advanced stuff! The Legbar learned it first and then taught the trick to the Sussex, who is less intelligent but very beautiful.
 
My girls have only been with us for a couple of weeks and they recognise their treats pot already! I know they do only have little brains but they seem to store the important things in them!
 
Are there any other tips for getting the girls to use the perch?
We have 3 birds and they all
Are sleeping in the nest box. They are young and not laying yet. They are not large birds.
I have tried encouraging as suggested but no joy yet. The perches are not very high only a few inches off the floor.
Cheers
 
Tweak said:
They are young and not laying yet. They are not large birds.
The perches are not very high only a few inches off the floor.
Cheers
Click to expand...

How old are they? They quite often don't seem to perch at night until they are coming out of the Grower stage, maybe 18-20 weeks. even if they like to use perches in the run during the day. If they are younger than this it's probably just a maturation thing. Many people say it's actually good not to give them roosting perches until they are at least 16-18 weeks because it's believed that perching for hours whilst they're still growing may affect their breastbone development, especially in heavier breeds. (I know yours aren't heavy breeds so this shouldn't be a problem.) If they're over 18 weeks, maybe a bit of after-dark training might help? Just go down there when they've settled and lift them up on to the perches. They'll soon get the idea - you hope!

Are your perches higher than your nestboxes? When they do learn to perch, they usually prefer to get up as high as possible, ie on the higher perches not in the nestbox. This is a problem with the smaller Eglus, which have roosting bars rather than proper perches, at the same level as the nestbox, so the cosy nestbox is a nice option for the hens.
 
Agree with Marigold.Make sure the perch is higher than the nest box. Many of the coops sold today have nest boxes and perches at the same level which is not ideal.
 
Thanks
They are 18 weeks old. The coop is one I bought of the Internet and the nest boxes are slightly higher than the perches. I will see if I can modify this if they don't take to them soon. Will they lay at night when they start?
 
Put newspaper in nesting boxes and help each one onto a perch. They were still on this morning.
 
Tweak said:
Will they lay at night when they start?
Click to expand...
No they won't lay once they've roosted at night, but may do so early in the morning, especially in summer when dawn is very early, or after your last check if this is before they go to roost.

I think the answer is to get the perches adapted to be higher than the nestboxes if you possibly can, ASAP so they don't get into too much of a habit of using them at night.
 
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