I just wanted to make this thread to share a story! Also I’m curious if anyone else has had this issue with their flocks and wonder if this might help them. I’ve always had trouble with getting my girls to sleep on the roost. I understood my chickens issues with the last coop, as it was a horrible prefab with not enough room or ventilation. I got a new coop but went without a roost for almost a year and a half due to issues getting it installed. I finally got it up recently and noticed none of the chickens (except my oldest hen) had ever had a roost and didn’t seem to know what to do with it. They were still very young when I got the new coop. This was so frustrating to me because I have been dealing with roost issues since I first got chickens and I was sick of it. Most people would probably shrug their shoulders and let the chickens sleep on the ground, but I’m compulsive with them (and pretty much everything) and I couldn’t just ignore it. I’d go in with a stick and pat those fluffy butts until they got on but it just never worked for all of them. I finally noticed they always got on when I had the top door open which led me to realize it was a lighting issue. I guess my coop is pretty dark around sunset they couldn’t see that well. (Well by this point it was just my barred rock being the brat, so maybe she has vision issues) I tried to think of a way to add light to the coop that didn’t require my direct involvement. I finally settled on a motion sensor light!! It has worked wonders and I now have no issues at all with the chickens getting on the roost for the first time in the years I’ve had chickens. I had it placed above the roost but soon figured out it would stay on all night. I had what I thought was the genius idea to put it on the under side of the roost so it would only come on when they were under it. Which was a pretty smart idea until I realized the light comes on every time they poop
but they don’t seem to mind so I’m just leaving it. Sorry that was long! But I’m curious to see if anyone else has issues with their chickens getting on the roost that might be due to lighting issues.
but they don’t seem to mind so I’m just leaving it. Sorry that was long! But I’m curious to see if anyone else has issues with their chickens getting on the roost that might be due to lighting issues. 
