Desperate for help - roost pole craziness

I'm sorry!  I'm a newbie.  Your post caught my attention because my three get a little crazy trying to sit on top of each other on occasion when there's plenty of clean space to sit somewhere else.  Or, they'll all stand in the same place around the feeder and try to eat from the exact same spot even though there is a lot of room around the feeder (I have a feeder intended for a flock, and I only have 3 birds).  I'm still trying to understand the mind of a chicken.  Maybe it's a "the grass is greener where you're standing" mentality?    I don't know.  Hopefully someone here can help you figure this out.

OMG!  My chickens do this too.  The older ones (1 year old) jocky for postion and will step on their co-mates to get next to their favorite.  Of course the one stepped on freaks out and falls off the roost.  If someone doesn't like who they find themselves next to they will peck the offender until he leaves or falls off.  And....the expression on the one left on the roost.  I can almost hear them say "HA"!

My 3 month olds (10) do the same thing.  One night I watched them and actually saw one bird walk over 6 of his sisters so he could roost next to someone he likes better.  Oh, the squawking!  Two fell off before he could get himself over to his favorite.

I think this is just chicken behavior and not much you can do unless you know who wants to sit next to who and you physically put them there.  (I've done this just to keep the peace)

Its really quite comical.  I'm going to try and video this tonight.

 I would definitely do this too.  The poor thing.  

Is it possible that your roosts are simply too high?  Do you have any pictures so we can see the setup?  Being young, they could also still be working out the pecking order, and thus, who gets the 'prime' roosting spots.

Or.. you simply cannot fathom the intricacies of the chicken mind and have set up your roosts in a manner that defies conventional chicken logic.  Silly human. 

Traditionally.. chickens want to be on the highest poles, whether they can reach it safely or not.  12'' to 4' is a sizeable gap, especially for new/untalented fliers.  We have a deck surrounding our backyard pond with a bench on it.  The lighter body hens can reach the top of the bench easily, but the heavier ones have to hop first onto the deck, then to the seat of the bench, then up to the back of it.  Our silkie and frizzle hens can just look at it, throw themselves in the direction of the top of the bench and usually crash into the side of it or the deck.

I'm inclined to blame the parents. Mine go to bed so quietly and calmly...

My sebright cockerel snuggles up to his sabelpoot girlfriend on one far end, on the other end, as far from everyone as is physically possible are the three vorwerks and their serogate aunt (an araucana). Somewhere in the middle are the other two araucanas, but not so close to the vorwerks as to give them nightmares. And a broody in the nest. No squabbling *satisfied sigh*

Sorry I don't have anything helpful to add. In your position, I'd be just the same: concerned! I'd have also tried different things in case there's more or less ventilation/daylight on that end, but you say you've done that

My broody hen and her chicks (lol) who are now 12 weeks old all go to roost early they take the positions at the top to the chicken ladder. The broody hen and the smallest which is a Mille Fleur d'unccle pullet sit behind them on the poop board scrunched into the corner (she still likes to get under the broody hen -if my broody wasn't a cochin bantam she would knock her over). My cochin frizzle and small Nankin hen sit together at the other end of the roost and my 4 Americuna 18month olds roost by themselves in another part of the coop. If I turn off the light early when I close them up and no one is on the roost yet it sounds like world war 3 for about 5 minutes then quiet.