Chickens will not use roost

eggspletive!

In the Brooder
10 Years
Jun 9, 2009
59
2
39
My chickens will not use their roost, and instead huddle together in the wood shavings in the corner of their coop right in front of the window, presumably the coldest, draftiest part of the coop. I cleaned out the coop today and discovered that that while the rest of the shavings were nice and dry, that corner was totally soaked through to the wood floor.

They have a 2x4 roost just a few inches away, wide part up. It is painted white, if that matters, and is about a foot off the ground. We've tried placing them on the roost repeatedly but they hop right off. I think this must be our fault for taking so long to build the roost. We didn't build it until they were about 2 months old.

What can we do to convince them to get up off the cold, wet, drafty floor and onto their nice, warm, dry roost?
 
Well they were a Welsummer, an Araucana, and a Buff Orp, but we lost the Welsummer and haven't gotten a replacement yet. However this behavior has been consistent the whole time we've had them.
 
Maybe use something skinnier than a 2x4? I personally think they like to wrap their little toes around the wood like they would in a tree
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Au contraire mon frer. Our hens are comfy on a 2x4 with the wide side up, edges nicely rounded off. If you scout around the forum you'll find that hens appreciate a wide perch that allows them to cover their toes with their feathers, keeping the toes warm and preventing frostbite in freezing weather. I suspect if OP continues to place the girls on the roost for the next few nights they'll get the idea - that's what it took with our chooks. All in all they'd much prefer to sleep in an elevated spot than huddled on the ground.
 

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