Need help chickens won’t roost

[Banjo1]

I have six chickens ,they all go into the coop themself when the sun goes down .
Useually around an hour later when it’s dark I’ll go check on them and close up the coop door.
Three of the chickens are always on the roost
The other three are always in or on the floor near the nest boxes so now I’ve been blocking the boxes in early evening .
The three I pick up and put them on the roost and there they stay all night
The roost is a 2x4 and they stand on the four inch side of the board .
I’ve been doing this every night for almost three weeks .
All the chickens are 23 weeks old
Should I just give up ? four of the chickens are isa browns the other two are Wyandotte
Any help,would be great
I clean the coop every day scooping up the poop I am about ready to just let them stay on the floor of the coop which is sand and block off the nest boxes. They have more then enough room to roost I really could use some help
Thanks for listening and for your reply

 

[Sherri1990]

I have six chickens ,they all go into the coop themself when the sun goes down .
Useually around an hour later when it’s dark I’ll go check on them and close up the coop door.
Three of the chickens are always on the roost
The other three are always in or on the floor near the nest boxes so now I’ve been blocking the boxes in early evening .
The three I pick up and put them on the roost and there they stay all night
The roost is a 2x4 and they stand on the four inch side of the board .
I’ve been doing this every night for almost three weeks .
All the chickens are 23 weeks old
Should I just give up ? four of the chickens are isa browns the other two are Wyandotte
Any help,would be great
I clean the coop every day scooping up the poop I am about ready to just let them stay on the floor of the coop which is sand and block off the nest boxes. They have more then enough room to roost I really could use some help
Thanks for listening and for your reply

I just went through this. I could not get them off the ground to save my life. Then literally overnight they were fighting over who gets the sweet spot on the perch. I still
Put cocoa and honey up there because they are bottom of the pecking order... maybe that’s why you are still having issues?

 

[One Lucky Momma]

welcome to the flock !

I guess it’s always the same three who don’t roost? As @Sherri1990 said above, it could be a pecking order issue. Have you ever stationed yourself inside the coop to watch what happens as they file in for the night? It can be pretty interesting.

Can they realistically get up to the roost? Sounds like they might enjoy having you lift them up and place them . since you’ve gotten into the habit of doing that, maybe try leaving them on the floor one night and see what happens. The downside to staying on the floor, as you’ve probably seen, is they’ll be sitting in their poops.

Good luck. I’m betting they outgrow it on their own.

 

[Banjo1]

Boy it’s making me crazy I’ll give it another week I guess
thank you for replying ...maybe there’s still hope

 

[Banjo1]

welcome to the flock !

I guess it’s always the same three who don’t roost? As @Sherri1990 said above, it could be a pecking order issue. Have you ever stationed yourself inside the coop to watch what happens as they file in for the night? It can be pretty interesting.

Can they realistically get up to the roost? Sounds like they might enjoy having you lift them up and place them . since you’ve gotten into the habit of doing that, maybe try leaving them on the floor one night and see what happens. The downside to staying on the floor, as you’ve probably seen, is they’ll be sitting in their poops.

Good luck. I’m betting they outgrow it on their own.

Maybe pecking order all I know for sure is I’m doing all I can to make them happy I’ll try another week if that doesn’t do it I’ll give up I think

 

[reluctant farmer]

Try adding another perch, if possible.

 

[NNYchick]

All my chicks were doing well all roosting on the main roost then about 17 weeks old (right around the time the cockerels came of age) all of a sudden the 2 (cockerel and pullet) at the top of the pecking order sleep on the 8ft roost and the other 5(cockerel and 4 pullets) squeeze on a corner roost. Frustrating because the main roost has the poop board, kind of a waste for 2 chickens. I’ve thought of taking down the corner roost but I don’t want a bunch of fighting if it is a pecking order thing.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Have you ever stationed yourself inside the coop to watch what happens as they file in for the night? It can be pretty interesting.

If you have the time this is a good idea, it'll let you get a lot more insight to what your flock is doing to get ready for bed. I happen to have a coop cam so I'm pretty familiar with the routine my birds go through, and it's interesting to see who gets up on roost first, who gets knocked off, etc.

 

[Sherri1990]

I have noticed with cocoa that she is always reluctant to go in the coop. She is always the very lady in and she stalls when she gets in there. I’m not sure what they are saying to her. Pecking order is a very strange thing in chickens. I watch this with my flock ever single night.

 

[aart]

They have more then enough room to roost I really could use some help

Post some pics of your coop, outside and in, showing the roosts.