My chickens won't roost... bad roosts maybe?

[MamaOf5Cuties]

What should my roosts look like? Mine are just made out of some spare wood (one roost is 1x1 wood and the other is made from 2x2), and they do get on the roosts occasionally in the daytime. However they will NOT get on them to sleep at night. They are not in the nest box area because I don't want to deal with a nest box full of poop. They are in the run under the elevated nest box area so it's in a nice dry area if it rains, but they will NOT sleep on it! It's been raining so much here and the run is SO muddy you would THINK they'd rather sleep on the roosts instead of in the mud! Who would have thoughts chickens would be so silly?!

 

[Pascal PicklePants]

1x1 is a little small, 2x2 is about right. Maybe the roosts are too low? Generally chickens will roost as high as they can, and they prefer cover, so if the roosts are in the open, they may feel too exposed. Have any pics? that would help

 

[cafarmgirl]

Are we talking standard size chickens? If so, even 2 x 2 is small, not to mention only 1 x 1. A lot of people, myself included use a 2 x 4, the birds roost on the 4" side. It is wide enough that they can rest down on their breast bone, relax their feet and cover them with their feathers. Smaller perches require more gripping and hanging onto during sleep and can make their feet sore/tired. This may be why yours don't want to spend all night long on such small perches.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How old are they?