My Buff Orpingtons don't want to perch + sleep in nest box

[Ben1971]

Hi all. I have just bought two beautiful Buff Orpingtons to add to my flock. I now have four hens. I have two perches in the coop and one is higher than the other. The lowest is only about 10 inches off the ground. Since introducing the Orpingtons, the other two hens both sit on the highest perch but the Buffs hudle up together in the small nest box. I wouldn't mind this but it means dirty eggs .

Is there anyone else who has this problem? I remember my first two hens sometimes slept in the nest box a few time but the Buffs always do! Is it due their weight that they don't like to perch or just cosier?

[Thomzo]

I had the same problem with my ex-batts when I first got them. It went something like this:

If the hens are not using the perch the book says that you have to train them. I suggest that you use a torch so that you can see what you are doing, but not wake them up too much. Chooks are creatures of habit. It should not take too long to train them.

6 hens sitting on a perch - who are you kidding?
Last night it kinda went like this:

Hen 1 is so surprised that she allows herself to be picked up and put on the perch. Then she stands there looking bemused.

Hen 2, equally surprised also sits on the perch looking at Hen 1 with raised eyebrows.

Hen 3 has an idea what is coming. She allows herself to be picked up but curls up her feet so that she can't perch on the perch and falls off with lots of noisy flapping.

Hen 2 jumps off perch

Hen 2 is put back on perch

Hen 4 is picked up and put on perch but does the toe curling bit as well and also falls off

Hen 2 jumps off perch onto Hen 4 and starts a violent pecking and clucking fight.

Hens 5 and 6 hide under the nest boxes and refuse to be picked up.

Round 2 will start tonight at approximately 9pm. Tickets are available now but the best seats have already been booked by the cats who were watching the proceedings last night and were actually laughing

In fact, I persisted for another two days. On day 4 they were all happily sat on their perch by the time I went up to shut up the pop hole.

[Ben1971]

Haha!

I can understand it with ex batts, but mine come from a chicken breeder and she has perches in all her coops. I wonder if my Bluebell hen is being a bit of a bully. She is a bit agressive at times

Mind you, the other day she got her just deserts as she decide to go for the buffs when they were free to roam the garden and the two (friendly) heavyweights ganged up on her and gave her what for. She ended up with a bit of a bloody comb.

For the first time, my unfriendly Bluebelle, actually allowed me to pick her up and hold her! The Warren, of course is always friendly.

I will give them all a chance to settle in first then I might contact the breeder to see if hers always roost on a perch.

[JulieSherris]

Our first 3 girls had to be roost-trained too - took about a week of persistent picking up in the dark & popping them on the bars....

Now, all our chooks roost - but only one of the muscovy ducks roosts - the other 3 still sit in a half barrel filled with straw. We also have a white dorking rooster who won't roost - after 5 months of persistence, he still chooses a nest box

[Ben1971]

Thanks Julie, I will try training them.

The main problem is, I collect the eggs when I come home from work, and at this time of the year it's dark and the Buffs are nicely tucked up (squashed together) in the 1ft x 1ft nest box and so I have to disturb them to get the eggs. They are of course nice and warm :). I will use this egg collection time to put them on the lower perch. I suspect the new Buffs will be lower down in the pecking order.... am I right? The Warren has already joined the Bluebelle on the top perch, as if to make room for the newcomers.

[Ben1971]

Checked for eggs tonight and put both Buff Orpingtons on the perch with no problem and they stayed there

Who knows if they went back into the nest box once I'd walked away

[JulieSherris]

Yay!!

The nice thing about chooks is that once they are in the dark, they usually don't move, so they should have stayed there ok.
A few more times & they'll get the idea

[Ben1971]

I have been putting the Orpingtons on the perch every night now but as soon as I do this, the Warren (called Omlette) jumps off! She then just walks around on the coop floor . I don't know why, as the Orpingtons are very placid and don't seem to mind sharing the perch and there is plenty of room. I think I am going to have to put another perch in there

[Millymollymandy]

I shouldn't worry, I bet she jumps back up later when you are not watching! Mine play 'musical perches' every night, even when they are all used to each other there is loads of squarking and jumping up and down and shifting postions, shoving their beaks up under the stomach of the one next to them which unbalances that one, lots of flapping of wings. It's just what they do.

[Ben1971]

Tonight one of the Buff Orpingtons must have been brave! She has taken on Benedict the snappy hen and gone on the highest perch with her! I thought they were a bit lazy and didn't want to perch at all. The other Buff Orpington still sleeps in the nest box

Hopefully they will both take to the perch as I am getting some very dirty and warm eggs

[Rosendula]

I've been watching this post because mine have been sleeping in the nest boxes - sometimes all three of them piled into one box. Because I'd never even been near a chicken before I got mine, I wasn't very confident picking them up, so put off moving them. Thankfully, they have started to sort themselves out. Yesterday morning, when I let them out I noticed that despite them seeming to settle down in the nest box the night before, all the poo was in a line under a perch, so they must have moved. Perhaps now the weather's not so cold **touches wood and kicks herself repeatedly** they don't want to all be piled on top of each other. Who knows? I'm just happy they've moved

[Millymollymandy]

Good news both of you!

[Ben1971]

Hi Rosendula, yes I think they need time to sort out the pecking order!

Funny how they can all fit into a small nest box though

[Gem]

I have had some laughs trying to get my bantams to perch. The weirdo polish will perch no problem and will try and encourage the silkie to do the same by a bit of head snuggling but the silkie is having none of it!!
We pop the polish on, she stays.. All good so far. Pop the silkie on, she hops off, pop her on again, try to gentle block her escape route, she dodges and hops off.

This has been going on for about 5 nights and last night I popped her on and she stayed there! I was so shocked I had to check again a few hours later and turned out she is just smarter than me. She stayed on the perch until I had left then went straight back to the nest box, taking the polish with her..

I will keep trying though. Its worth it just for the giggles!

Gem