How important are perches?

[SandM]

We're dying to get chickens, and are saving up for a nice coup (quite fancy an eglu at the moment), but have managed to get a good sized run and a rabbit hutch from freecycle.

I've made it garden-worthy and am very keen to go out and buy a couple of hens, but don't know if I really can or not. The coup has no perches, and I'm not sure how necessary they are as the person who gave me the hutch also keeps chickens in a rabbit hutch without perches. But I want to make sure that our hens are happy.

Also - I know I should treat the coup for red mites, but do I have to do this a while before I put in the chickens, or can I do it the same day?

Sorry for the cluelessness.

[jonny_s_p]

Hi,

I made my chook house. I put perches in at the 'correct' height etc. However the chickens don't seem to know this and insist on roosting on the floor. They seem happy so I leave them too it.

The house is about 2 foot off the ground, maybe they feel secure enough.

Jonny

[farmer john]

Hi,

Hens kept in close confinement in commercial units don't have perches - they roost on the floor of their cage and their droppings fall thro the bottom of the cage. But in a house such as yours if the hens roost on the floor they run the risk of getting ammonia burns on their legs if they lie on their droppings. Best to try and put in a perch - if they won't use it at first don't give up. Keep lifting the hens if they are roosting on the floor and set them on the perch - they will get the message eventually. Ours learnt the lesson after 3-4 days even though they were used to roosting of the floor for the first 16 weeks of their lives.

[SandM]

Thanks so much - we put in some perches and got our chickens today. So far, they seem to much prefer the floor and straw for sitting in, but tonight I'll try and put them on the perches to sleep.

But one of them seems to have diarrhoea. Is this bad? The other has firm poo.

Hmm...

[hedgie]

Congrats on your new arrivals
As for runny bum - could be stress see how she settles in. Good luck

[Eyren]

Probably just the stress of the move - but remember that diarrhoea is very dehydrating, so make sure they have plenty of clean water. Also, a good tip for runny tummies is to give them bokashi bran - yep, the same stuff you put in composters! The EMs work like the friendly bacteria in those fancy yogurt drinks, to settle the gut and aid digestion

[TPeers]

You can give them yoghurt if you want - several people here swear by it as a pick me up. Never tried it myself - I eat it!

[yoanbob]

or marmite on toast helps with stress (small amounts tho.)
you can use the red mite powder we have on the chooks as well as the house, just read the label