Chickens don't use the roost bar

[alalele]

I had to teach mine to use their roost (which is a 2x4 on the wide side) and they learned. Then they'd be on their roost at night and I'd only have to go lock them in. Now for the last month (when they were about 3 months old at the time), every night I started to have to move the 3 of them to their roost inside the coop at night. It was just one hen at first, now all of them are doing it.

It's actually a bonding time with them because they are kind of sleepy in the evening (and make sweet sounds when I pet them) and have already picked out their roosting spot... usually ON top of their coop about 6 ft high(which is inside a dog run kennel), or on the top of the door to their coop which is 5ft high.

I move them because I need them locked up at night, but I'm re-thinking how to give them higher roosting spots for when I build a new, bigger coop. Your's looks really nice btw. How many hens do you have? It looks like it could handle about 4 standards?

 

[e.lolly]

I came here with a similar question. This is my chickens first night in their new coop. I decided to use 2x4's because I heard they like those. I turned them skinny side up, because I thought they might be able to grip better, but they seem really freaked out by them, like they can't get a good hold of them. Should I turn some or all of them flat side up so they can just kinda sit on them?

 

[cjeanean]

I use 2 x 2 's for their roosts (actually, they're more like 1.5 x 1.5) and they seem to work great. I had to put my chickens on their roosts for the first few nights before they started roosting on their own.

 

[silkiechicken]

The perch looks thin. They'll find it in time if it's comfortable. Chickens don't grip when asleep like other birds, they sit.

 

[mmajw]

e.lolly :

I came here with a similar question. This is my chickens first night in their new coop. I decided to use 2x4's because I heard they like those. I turned them skinny side up, because I thought they might be able to grip better, but they seem really freaked out by them, like they can't get a good hold of them. Should I turn some or all of them flat side up so they can just kinda sit on them?

Yes.​

 

[stephen_tx]

Thank you everyone, I put them on the roost last night before I locked them in and when I came out this morning I heard them jump down from the roost. So I'm guessing they were up there all night.

I still have to figure out how to put the wheels on the tractor so I can push them off the ground when not in use and attach the permanent ramp to the doorway and I'll get some more pictures of the finished project to post.

Stephen_TX