Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi all
Just a quickie
Im not sure i build my perch right or if its suitable as my chicks .They seem to just sleep in there nest boxes at night all the time ... ? Or is this normal with only 2 hens in one coop The perch Is only 1-2 inch of the ground and made like thing you would cool cakes/bread on >< . any help to this would be great .

cheers dave

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http://planetgrow.blogspot.com/

Hi dave, hens can take some convinsing to perch at first and if they are cold they will cuddle up in a small space ie nesting boxto solve this you sneak in at night and place them on the perch, but it sounds to me like you have the perches wrong, chickens in the wild perch on tree branches so what works best is somthing 1/2 inch to an inch wide round or slightly curved on top, we used broom handles and that worked quite well, but some people say that they are too round and that rounding off a square bit of wood is better, but it worked really well for us, also we put ours about a chicken hieght of the floor.
hope that helps

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

Thanks bob
Yes thats helped My ones arnt round but square >< and think they are to close togeather too for them to get there feet around . I cant make it as high as yours as the house is only 800 high and made more like an ark house .
I try make somthing today and get a pic sorted .

thanks again dave

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http://planetgrow.blogspot.com/

are you talking about metal perches or wires? It really needs to be wood or plastic like the other replies have said and higher than the nest box. You could try blocking up the nest box at night with an upturned box or washing up bowl, which might get them out of the habit. The only thing is.....you will have to be out there reeeaal early to remove the barrier so that they can lay their eggs!!

now i'm worried!we have made perches & nesting boxes ;does it mater wher they go to sleep?

I don't think it does matter as long as they are happy. The only thing is that, cleaning out the nest box each day before laying their eggs makes more work. But I do it. Mine are all ex bats and they love the comfort of the nest box, so I think....why not!!!

We have 4 hens and although they've got a huge roosting area at least two of them always sleep in the nesting box - sometimes even three of them pile in there one on top of the other. As already mentioned, the only problem I can see with it is that particularly in the winter, the nesting box needs more cleaning out as they wee and poo in there during the night!

how exotic....so I imagine they roost upside down?


ours are the same. 3 lovely slightly rounded yet grippy perches but they all pile into one nesting box & the one at the bottom of the pilt wakes up covered in poos. But if this makes them happy than I'm happy.

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Jane

On the whole it doesn't matter, but I find that the ones that won't perch are a lot more prone to scaly leg than the ones that do (even with regular treatment).

Perching has a lot to do with how they are brought up. I've always found mixed sex broods perch more easily than female only ones, as the cockerels have a stronger instinct for perching as they grow, and their sisters copy them. If they don't show any inclination, I place them on their perches when I put them to bed, and eventually they get the idea. Lighter breeds seem to prefer perching more than the heavier ones.