# Bantams Sleeping on the ground! HELP!



## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

Hello, I am brand new to the chicken community and have my first set of chickens. I have raised them from a few days old. I have a total of 17 chickens, 5 of which are Silky bantams.

I have two roosting bars (2x4x8)in my coop. One of them is about 5 feet off the ground and the other is about 2.5 feet Off the ground. The top bar all of my large breed chickens Roost on it comfortably. (12 of them)

the bottom roosting bar is completely empty. None roost on it. Here is my problem: All 7 of my bantams sleep on the ground at night in-front of the screen door that automatically closes to keep the mosquitos and predators out. I first thought they did it because it's where they get the most light. They have plenty of space to roost on the lower 2x4 (rounded / sanded edges for comfort) I have read is bad for them to sleep on the ground, but don't know how to get them to roost. They huddle together and pile on top of each other in a whit fluffy ball. I'm in FL and the temperature is around 75 degrees every night. All my chickens are 4 months old.

anyone have advise on how to break that bad habit?? I attached photos for reference.
Thanks in advance.


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

The coop is 4x8


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

My breeds are:
4 New Hampshire
4 Brown Leghorns
4 Barred Rock
5 Bantams 

I am giving 6 away to a friend who has a farm as soon as I can determine the rooster from hens.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Mine sleep in a pile when they are young. It is not unusual and then one evening you will check and they will all be lined up on a roost.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Silkies rarely roost on anything. Being on the ground won't hurt them. My guess is they're hanging at the screen door because it's cooler. But it's a dangerous practice if there isn't a solid door there to protect from strong predators like racoons. 

Depending on which birds you're getting rid of your coop is too small for that many large fowl. Even if you rehome six of the large fowl the coop size minimum should be 48 square feet of open floor space.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yes, what Robin said, and another roost or two, also check your ventilation and make sure there is enough air flow.


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Silkies rarely roost on anything. Being on the ground won't hurt them. My guess is they're hanging at the screen door because it's cooler. But it's a dangerous practice if there isn't a solid door there to protect from strong predators like racoons.
> 
> Depending on which birds you're getting rid of your coop is too small for that many large fowl. Even if you rehome six of the large fowl the coop size minimum should be 48 square feet of open floor space.


I'm keeping 3 of each big breed and 2 Bantams. For a total of 11 chickens. I just wanted to make sure I keep only Hens before I give them away. 
My coop size is 4x8. They are totally free ranged in the day time. 
I forgot to mention that the screen door is lined with 1/2 chicken wire on the out side. Should be predator safe!! You think my coop is to small for 9 large breed and 2 small just for sleeping and eating?


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

Poultry Judge said:


> Yes, what Robin said, and another roost or two, also check your ventilation and make sure there is enough air flow.





Poultry Judge said:


> Yes, what Robin said, and another roost or two, also check your ventilation and make sure there is enough air flow.


Is it possible that I need more air flow?? I have two windows and the chicken door. I wasn't 100% sure and often consider cutting two additional windows. I also have a little solar power fan that kicks on in the day time.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yes, just for the large fowl you plan on keeping you need 36 square feet of open floor space. No waterers or feeders. Your coop is only 32 square feet. You have to figure bad weather and them having to be up. I see foliage that suggests you're in the south which means hurricanes and heavy rains. The birds all have to be up during that time. Being in too close quarters can cause stress and have them going after each other in unpleasant ways. And overheating with too many bodies in too tight of a space. 

The Silkies are cold weather birds. 

I would suggest finding a way to put ventilation in the high side of the roof or the soffit. That will allow the hot air to exit and draw in cooler air near the ground.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yes, maybe a roof edge vent, if it's not vented around the steel roof panel. that's a pretty nice coop. Could you add to the width, say one more three foot wide steel panel, that would do it. And a couple more roosts. It's nice, it's off the ground.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not steel, wood. Down here using a steel building is like building an oven.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

My mistake, poor vision, I thought the roof looked like the white ribbed steel roofing we use up here. My barn has a white steel roof which helps keep the hayloft cooler. It used to be dark gray shingles and the hayloft would be so hot, you thought you were going to pass out!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I thought you meant metal for the sides, so we're both misinterpreting what we're saying. LOL


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I'm sorry, the sides look like T-111 exterior siding or similar that has been stained. I'm sure that Swamp Chickens would want to match that since it is an attractive coop. It would be some work but very doable. My horse barn used to have T-111 red siding and it lasted for almost fifty years. It did de-laminate some on the south side because for whatever reason, that's where our severe weather comes from!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

T-111 is attractive and expensive. My big garage doors in TN were made out of it. The garage and openings were larger than standard. Buying premade doors to fit in the holes would have been prohibitive. 

The southside would also be where the sun would be beating down on it all day.


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Yes, just for the large fowl you plan on keeping you need 36 square feet of open floor space. No waterers or feeders. Your coop is only 32 square feet. You have to figure bad weather and them having to be up. I see foliage that suggests you're in the south which means hurricanes and heavy rains. The birds all have to be up during that time. Being in too close quarters can cause stress and have them going after each other in unpleasant ways. And overheating with too many bodies in too tight of a space.
> 
> The Silkies are cold weather birds.
> 
> I would suggest finding a way to put ventilation in the high side of the roof or the soffit. That will allow the hot air to exit and draw in cooler air near the ground.


great advice. Thank you!


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Yes, just for the large fowl you plan on keeping you need 36 square feet of open floor space. No waterers or feeders. Your coop is only 32 square feet. You have to figure bad weather and them having to be up. I see foliage that suggests you're in the south which means hurricanes and heavy rains. The birds all have to be up during that time. Being in too close quarters can cause stress and have them going after each other in unpleasant ways. And overheating with too many bodies in too tight of a space.
> 
> The Silkies are cold weather birds.
> 
> I would suggest finding a way to put ventilation in the high side of the roof or the soffit. That will allow the hot air to exit and draw in cooler air near the ground.


Yes, after this discussion I think I will put an extra window on each side. I never occurred to me that I may not have enough ventilation. I think everyone is spot on with the comments. The coop plans actually came with two windows for each side. So it's actually already framed out. I just didn't think it was necessary. But i see why the plans had it drawn in now.

I definitely live in south FL and hurricanes threaten my location at least 3-4 times a year. I even have hurricane shutters for the coop!


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

https://www.downeastthunderfarm.com/free-chicken-coop-plans/

Here are the free downloadable plans. They did an excellent job with the blue prints. Very easy to follow.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Swamp Chickens said:


> Yes, after this discussion I think I will put an extra window on each side. I never occurred to me that I may not have enough ventilation. I think everyone is spot on with the comments. The coop plans actually came with two windows for each side. So it's actually already framed out. I just didn't think it was necessary. But i see why the plans had it drawn in now.
> 
> I definitely live in south FL and hurricanes threaten my location at least 3-4 times a year. I even have hurricane shutters for the coop!


I don't have hurricane shutters for my house.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Living in the south, having raised chickens for a really long time helps. Also seeing how others have struggled when the birds are not getting everything they need to be a balanced happy flock helps.


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## Mouthpear (Jul 9, 2017)

By the looks of it you top roosting bar is too close to the wall. They can't roost comfortably on it facing away from the wall, so they have to face the wall. Chickens do most of their pooping when they sleep, and if their fannies are facing the other's heads, They will not roost there. I mean who wants poop on their heads all night?


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

My two Bantus are really weird. We have to place them in the coop at night, and they do use the coop whenever during the daytime too. Rather than roost on the bar, they fly up to the front lip, where there’s about a 2” overhang for ventilation, and is open to their run. (I do need to add some hardware cloth to be extra careful.) 
Point being, they can and do stick their heads out the bottom to see outside, and roost facing the wall, basically leaning up against it and one another. And always on the same side of one another of course. Silly chickens. 

Now, our big chickens don’t always roost at night either. They mostly do now, but they’ll still sleep in a corner all piled up too, with their big Quack protector blocking them from- well, from anything! Half the time I don’t know how they all fit behind him like that! 

They’re all so different, it could be a number of reasons as the previous poster(s) mentioned. They’ll get the hang of it eventually.


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## Swamp Chickens (Sep 5, 2020)

Mouthpear said:


> By the looks of it you top roosting bar is too close to the wall. They can't roost comfortably on it facing away from the wall, so they have to face the wall. Chickens do most of their pooping when they sleep, and if their fannies are facing the other's heads, They will not roost there. I mean who wants poop on their heads all night?


What's your suggested length off the wall? I just went and re-measured and my highest roosting bar is 13 inches off the wall. The low one is 14 offset from the highest one. If my Silkies ever decide to roost on the low bar I hope 14 inches should be far enough from the larger breed on top.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I didn't catch that. Take the one they're not using and raise that up to where they're roosting now. 

I wouldn't worry about the Silkies. If you're not keeping a Silkie rooster the girls won't roost. I had one rooster that would get on his roost a foot off the floor while his mate slept on the floor under him. It worked for them for many years. None of my other roosters had any use for a roost even though they were provided. I ended up taking them down to make it easier to clean.


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## Mouthpear (Jul 9, 2017)

Swamp Chickens said:


> What's your suggested length off the wall? I just went and re-measured and my highest roosting bar is 13 inches off the wall. The low one is 14 offset from the highest one. If my Silkies ever decide to roost on the low bar I hope 14 inches should be far enough from the larger breed on top.


Measure your largest bird from middle of back to end of tale. That will give you how far to put it from the wall. Get rid of the flat 2x4 also. Use a dowel or bamboo. They love the bamboo. If you can have someone round one side of the 2x4 that would be a good solution.

But really I would get rid of the top bar. Move the bottom up and make it a double. Hinge it to move it out of the way. Or make one at the back and move your feeder closer to the door.

I made this video to show how it can be done.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

The message says the video has been disabled by the owner.


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## Mouthpear (Jul 9, 2017)

Poultry Judge said:


> The message says the video has been disabled by the owner.


Click on "Watch this video on Youtube."


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

OK, thanks.


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Ah- cool! I dig it.


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## Mouthpear (Jul 9, 2017)

Swamp Chickens said:


> What's your suggested length off the wall? I just went and re-measured and my highest roosting bar is 13 inches off the wall. The low one is 14 offset from the highest one. If my Silkies ever decide to roost on the low bar I hope 14 inches should be far enough from the larger breed on top.


Were you able to see the video?


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## Mouthpear (Jul 9, 2017)

Poultry Judge said:


> OK, thanks.


Did you like/not like the video/concept?


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yes, that looks like a useful functional design.


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