Chickens won't roost. Why?

[Toothpick]

I've got a 8x10 coop with plenty of roosts and they won't use them. Every night they go in the coop and huddle around the chicken door. They pack in as tight as they can and fight for a spot on the edge of the door. I have to shoo them away to close the chicken door.

And it looks like they stay there all night because there is loads of poo and the shavings are all matted down right by the chicken door. So they go in at night and stay there. They won't roost.

I've got roost board along the back wall with a way for them to get up there (even though they can fly up there) and a poop board. But nope, they want to huddle by the chicken door on the floor.

What gives?

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Mine are just starting to try out the roosts but still piling at night. They are about 8 weeks old. How old are yours?

 

[Toothpick]

I think they are about they same age. They are not fully grown or egg laying yet.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I guess they all just need more grow up time!

 

[MasAhora]

Try popping them up on the roost after dark a couple of times. Otherwise leave them to figure it out. I have a ladder roost now and the young ones seems to start better on the lower rungs... at their own pace after weaning/moving into coop. Some after a couple of days others not so fast.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I actually installed a lower roost to help then transition as my roosts are quite high. They use it to climb up high in the mornings before I open their pop door but still sleep piled or perched in the open brooder door. So I give up for now.

 

[MasAhora]

I stopped moving chicks off the floor onto roosts after more than 1 or 2 times now...they find their way and everyone is less stressed.
A little more poop scooping each day so they do not sleep in it, for a while isn't so bad.

 

[TexasSam]

Go in after they are there for about an hour and put them on the roost after a few days they will do it on their own

 

[ChickNanny13]

They'll use the roost when they're ready. At 8wks, they're still young to roost at night but will use it during the day to see out a window or play around. My BOs slept huddled in front of the door until they were 18wks Gradually I'd see them on the roosts during the day, I got tired of cleaning that pile of poop so one night I went out & put them on the roost. Took a couple of nights but then they started using the roost So now the poop is in the poop board in the mornings

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

When I first put my pullets into their new coop, they would just stand around too. Then, my husband suggested that maybe they were missing their heat lamp. Well, I wasn't about to put a heat lamp in the coop. But, I had an idea...I had a red battery operated candle! I turned it on and put it up on the edge of the perch. Then, I placed each pullet up on the perch next to it. They sat down and got comfortable. I left it on for an hour, then went back and turned it off. The next evening, I turned on the little light again and they all jumped up onto the perch. After two weeks, I removed the candle light.
I guess some chickens need a binky too. LOL!