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I am V confused.
perching, roosting, sleeping? what's the difference!!!

Why do chickens need to sit on poles and what exactly does it intail?

Do they sleep where they lay their eggs?

How many nests (for egg laying) for 5-6 chickens?

Where do they sleep?

If they are enclosed in buried and 6ft high fence what time of night do they need to be put to bed. and would 8.15am be early enough to let them out every day?

Claire

Perching & Roosting I would say are the same. Hens want to get up off the ground at night - it goes back to them being wild and wanting to roost in trees. A safety thig I suppose.

Roosts in a henhouse should be about 12" or 15" off the ground - not too high 'cos the birds will not be able to jump up. I make mine from 2" by 2" poles and I gently round the top edges so they have a nice smooth perch to hold on to.

Hens will go into the henhouse of their own accord. If you are introducing new hens to a new house it's good practice to keep them shut inside for the first day so they they know where to go. After that they will troop in at dusk and jump up onto their roosts.

If you have 4 or 5 hens then I would think a couple of nest boxes would be grand. You might get a hen wanting to roost in the nest box - you can just as it is getting dark gently lift her out and stick her on her perch until she gets the message!

8:15 would be fine to let them out. I have read of some people who keep them inside for the whole morning but that was to ensure they laid their eggs in the house. I could not do that - my hens have an automatic pophole opener which opens at dawn and closes at dusk.

Hope this helps!

I have heard that when chickens roost (ie perch) they lock their legs and this relax's them. My advice is that if you plan to get chickens free range keep them in their pen for at least a day then restrict their freedom when you let thewm out for the first few nights so they don't stray too far from home and get their bearings. Good luck, i got my first chickens just over a year ago and never looked back.

if you have ex-battery hens they will need time to learn how to perch/roost

I always believed that perching is sitting on the pole/branch, roosting is when they're asleep on it