Chickens Refuse to use Roost?

[cathloveydovey]

Hello everyone. Today I'm finally putting my foot down because I can't take this anymore. My flock of 10 pretty much mature chickens, refuse to roost on the roost we have built in the coop. They continuously bed down for the night underneath the literal roost. Which because of their continued sleeping there, is ridden with feces and must. Every night now, I have to squat down, pick up each chicken one by one and put them on the roosts. Even when I do though, after three nights of me putting them up there, said: "screw you mom" to me and started sleeping crap caked hay in the roost instead of on the roosting bars. (I'm going to clean the hay sometime next month) At this point, I haven't the foggiest idea what I should do because they're so unreasonable. Anyone have any ideas what I should do? The hens are laying and the roosters are trying their best to mate with the girls, but since they're still young when one mounts a hen they ALL come running over and try to mate with that hen. Even if one of the roosters mates alone though, the hens freak out and run away. Every. Single. Time. From what I've seen, 3 of my hens are laying. Which they should have been for a while now but are incredibly overdue. The problematic chickens, are my five Isabel Orpingtons, and my five Silver Laced Orpingtons. Along with the refusing to use the roost problem the hens also refuse to use the three plastic nesting boxes we have for them. They use the ones that my Father and Brother built, but not the plastic ones! My WTB lays in either the second or last plastic nesting boxes closest to the human door. I just can't comprehend why they won't use the perfectly good roost and nesting boxes. My Father, Brother and I's past generations of chickens had no problem roosting on that roost.
Any advice or insight on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
~Mystic

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What is the layout of the coop? What are the dimensions? How high is the roost? How high are the nests? Are they located in a dark, quiet place or can light shine in them? How old (in months) are the ones that aren't roosting yet?

 

[Callender Girl]

I feel your pain. My Sapphire Gems perched on their roost (a fine roost, previously enjoyed by other chickens) when they first move out of the brooder. For ONE night.
They then decided to roost on the Very Narrow Edge of the next boxes. Where, they often decide to simply drop their eggs onto the coop floor where they break.

I have given up on retraining them. They have me where they want me. Right now, I am braving below zero wind chill to run outside every half hour or so because Vanna is taking her sweet time to lay her egg. Petra already went bombs away on the floor, so I want to salvage one egg today!

Good luck with your girls! I hope someone can bring you a solution.

 

[cathloveydovey]

What is the layout of the coop? What are the dimensions? How high is the roost? How high are the nests? Are they located in a dark, quiet place or can light shine in them? How old (in months) are the ones that aren't roosting yet?

I'll have to draw up a layout later today, I have no idea what the dimensions are, the roost is roughly 4 feet off the ground. Its about up to my chest and Im 5'4. The plastic nests are about a foot off the ground and the wood nests that my Father and Brother built are just a few inches off the ground. Two of the wood nests are in a dark place but the plastic and the front two wood nests are in sunlit places. Past laying/mature crowing age, I'll have to find the paper my dad wrote the month of their hatching.

 

[cathloveydovey]

I feel your pain. My Sapphire Gems perched on their roost (a fine roost, previously enjoyed by other chickens) when they first move out of the brooder. For ONE night.
They then decided to roost on the Very Narrow Edge of the next boxes. Where, they often decide to simply drop their eggs onto the coop floor where they break.

I have given up on retraining them. They have me where they want me. Right now, I am braving below zero wind chill to run outside every half hour or so because Vanna is taking her sweet time to lay her egg. Petra already went bombs away on the floor, so I want to salvage one egg today!

Good luck with your girls! I hope someone can bring you a solution.

That sounds rough, hopefully, once spring rolls around you can retrain them. Thank you and good luck with yours!

 

[cathloveydovey]

What is the layout of the coop? What are the dimensions? How high is the roost? How high are the nests? Are they located in a dark, quiet place or can light shine in them? How old (in months) are the ones that aren't roosting yet?

Would bully hens be a reason that they don't want to roost up there? My WTB bullied them all the time as pullets/cockerels and when NC was bombarded with hurricanes I had them locked up in the coop for Hurricane Michael and when I could finally check up on them they were in the tightest places trying to hide from her as she scrounged around the coop.

 

[Grits&Eggs]

the dimensions are, the roost is roughly 4 feet off the ground. Its about up to my chest and Im 5'4

I had to add a lower roost bar - kind of a "stepping" process they try to fly up to the higher perches, but end up knocking each other off, but adding a way for them to hop up from the lower perch, 12" high to next perch 12" above and behind that etc.

 

[cathloveydovey]

I had to add a lower roost bar - kind of a "stepping" process they try to fly up to the higher perches, but end up knocking each other off, but adding a way for them to hop up from the lower perch, 12" high to next perch 12" above and behind that etc.

They have one

 

[Criticalicious]

Did you say the roosts are FOUR FEET UP? That's very high for a chicken to go. A roost bar should be about eye level with the birds, or a short hop up. Perhaps offer a ladder or lower the roost bars. Can you post pictures?

Sounds like the nest boxes are not comfortable either. Have you tried adding fake eggs to see if they catch on?

 

[cathloveydovey]

Did you say the roosts are FOUR FEET UP? That's very high for a chicken to go. A roost bar should be about eye level with the birds, or a short hop up. Perhaps offer a ladder or lower the roost bars. Can you post pictures?

Sounds like the nest boxes are not comfortable either. Have you tried adding fake eggs to see if they catch on?

They have a ladder to walk up to the roosts. I cant post pictures as of now but later today possibly. Ive tried fake eggs with luck only in the wood ones, they have perches to walk into the plastic nesting boxes too