I did not see where you mentioned the age of your chickens. If they are pretty young, that would answer most of your questions. I'll guess that your chickens are at least a few months old. If they are still babies, nothing you mentioned is strange or unusual at all.
Chickens do not like change. They like to get comfortable with their circumstances, then leave things that way. They have been takes from where they are comfortable and put in a new place. They don't know what is going on or how they are expected to act. Eventually one will be bolder than the rest and explore the new surroundings and the rest will soon follow, but unless you have a natural explorer in your flock, it can take a while.
When you first get new chickens, it is usually best to leave them locked in the coop for a few days. If they are going to be enclosed in a run, you can open the door to the outside in 2 or 3 days and they should be OK. If you are going to immediately let them free range, I suggest a week is better so they really get used to the coop as their home. That way they should go back in there at night. When you open the door to the outside, you may have one that will explore immediately, but it might take a day or so before one gets up the courage to brave the big strange world out there.
Chickens normally roost on the highest thing they can get to and you might be surprised what they can get to. I've had 2 week old chicks playing on my roosts 4 feet off the ground. My brooder raised chicks usually prefer to stay huddled in a pile on the floor of the coop until they are 10 to 12 weeks old, then a brave one or two will start roosting. Within a couple of days the rest follow them to the roosts. If a broody raises them, she has them up on the roosts a lot earlier, ususally around 4 to 5 weeks of age. After they are 4 to 5 weeks old, they are fully feathered so they are not huddling for warmth. They draw great comfort from having the others close. The only things I can think of as to why yours are not roosting is either they are too young or they are a breed that does not roost much. Some silkies roost when they can get to the roosts, but some don't. I'm not sure what other breeds may have trouble getting to a roost.
I cannot see why yours are not using the roost from the pictures. It looks good. If yours are of an age and breed that should be roosting, you can put them up on the roost after they have comfortably gone to bed and it is dark enough that they cannot find their way back to where they came from. Leave it as dark as you can and use a small dim flashlight when you do this. They should get the idea after a few days. Or you can leave them alone for a few days to see if they accomplish this on their own, but I think I'd break them from the habit of sleeping in the nest as soon as I could. With all your windows, if yoou have night light on outside, you may have trouble getting it dark enough where they cannot find their way back at night. Just something to consider.
Why the solitary sleepers. I don't know. It may be that those are the dominant birds and they have taken the prime sleeping places. I don't really think so but maybe. Possibly, and this is the one I think may be happening, some chickens can be very vicious on the roost. The dominant birds get the prime spots. If a bird that is lower in the pecking order tries to get a preferred spot, the more dominant one will attack it and claim the best spot it can get in accorance with the pecking order. But some are just mean vicious bullies on the roost. I've had hens leave their preferred better roosting places with their buddies to go attack other chickens on the roost. My best example is a broody raised a bunch of chicks with the flock. She had them roosting when they were around 5 weeks old. She protected them and the other chickens left them alone as long as they chicks stayed close to Mama. But when the hen weaned the chicks at 9 weeks and went back to sleeping with her buddies, two of the other adult hens left their preferred place on the roost with their buddies and started sleeping where they could beat up on the young chicks until it got too dark to see. Some of the chicks stopped sleeping on the roosts and started sleeping in less desirable places. When the younger chickens mature enough to hold their own, this behavior changes, but this is just the pecking order at work. The ones doing this are the ones that are at the bottom of the adult flock pecking order. They are enforcing thier position with the young ones. I know this is a long story, but where it fits with yours is that these chickens are in a new place and very likely a new mix of chickens, either not having seen each other before or only a part of an old flock. Any of these will cause the pecking order to have to be reset and I know of no place more vicious when establishing the pecking order than the roosts.
As for the ramps, mine normally prefer to jump and fly when they can. There is nothing wrong with them jumping and flying. Once they get the courage to explore, they may use the ramps or they may not. Mine have a tendency to use intermediate steps to get up but just fly down. I'd leave the ramps and let them decide.
That's a nice looking coop. I suggest giving them a chance to get used to it and don't over-worry about it. They will sort themselves out in a few days. Good Luck!
Chickens do not like change. They like to get comfortable with their circumstances, then leave things that way. They have been takes from where they are comfortable and put in a new place. They don't know what is going on or how they are expected to act. Eventually one will be bolder than the rest and explore the new surroundings and the rest will soon follow, but unless you have a natural explorer in your flock, it can take a while.
When you first get new chickens, it is usually best to leave them locked in the coop for a few days. If they are going to be enclosed in a run, you can open the door to the outside in 2 or 3 days and they should be OK. If you are going to immediately let them free range, I suggest a week is better so they really get used to the coop as their home. That way they should go back in there at night. When you open the door to the outside, you may have one that will explore immediately, but it might take a day or so before one gets up the courage to brave the big strange world out there.
Chickens normally roost on the highest thing they can get to and you might be surprised what they can get to. I've had 2 week old chicks playing on my roosts 4 feet off the ground. My brooder raised chicks usually prefer to stay huddled in a pile on the floor of the coop until they are 10 to 12 weeks old, then a brave one or two will start roosting. Within a couple of days the rest follow them to the roosts. If a broody raises them, she has them up on the roosts a lot earlier, ususally around 4 to 5 weeks of age. After they are 4 to 5 weeks old, they are fully feathered so they are not huddling for warmth. They draw great comfort from having the others close. The only things I can think of as to why yours are not roosting is either they are too young or they are a breed that does not roost much. Some silkies roost when they can get to the roosts, but some don't. I'm not sure what other breeds may have trouble getting to a roost.
I cannot see why yours are not using the roost from the pictures. It looks good. If yours are of an age and breed that should be roosting, you can put them up on the roost after they have comfortably gone to bed and it is dark enough that they cannot find their way back to where they came from. Leave it as dark as you can and use a small dim flashlight when you do this. They should get the idea after a few days. Or you can leave them alone for a few days to see if they accomplish this on their own, but I think I'd break them from the habit of sleeping in the nest as soon as I could. With all your windows, if yoou have night light on outside, you may have trouble getting it dark enough where they cannot find their way back at night. Just something to consider.
Why the solitary sleepers. I don't know. It may be that those are the dominant birds and they have taken the prime sleeping places. I don't really think so but maybe. Possibly, and this is the one I think may be happening, some chickens can be very vicious on the roost. The dominant birds get the prime spots. If a bird that is lower in the pecking order tries to get a preferred spot, the more dominant one will attack it and claim the best spot it can get in accorance with the pecking order. But some are just mean vicious bullies on the roost. I've had hens leave their preferred better roosting places with their buddies to go attack other chickens on the roost. My best example is a broody raised a bunch of chicks with the flock. She had them roosting when they were around 5 weeks old. She protected them and the other chickens left them alone as long as they chicks stayed close to Mama. But when the hen weaned the chicks at 9 weeks and went back to sleeping with her buddies, two of the other adult hens left their preferred place on the roost with their buddies and started sleeping where they could beat up on the young chicks until it got too dark to see. Some of the chicks stopped sleeping on the roosts and started sleeping in less desirable places. When the younger chickens mature enough to hold their own, this behavior changes, but this is just the pecking order at work. The ones doing this are the ones that are at the bottom of the adult flock pecking order. They are enforcing thier position with the young ones. I know this is a long story, but where it fits with yours is that these chickens are in a new place and very likely a new mix of chickens, either not having seen each other before or only a part of an old flock. Any of these will cause the pecking order to have to be reset and I know of no place more vicious when establishing the pecking order than the roosts.
As for the ramps, mine normally prefer to jump and fly when they can. There is nothing wrong with them jumping and flying. Once they get the courage to explore, they may use the ramps or they may not. Mine have a tendency to use intermediate steps to get up but just fly down. I'd leave the ramps and let them decide.
That's a nice looking coop. I suggest giving them a chance to get used to it and don't over-worry about it. They will sort themselves out in a few days. Good Luck!
