Non Roosting Chickens

[Palinor]

For some reason our chickens don't want to roost. One chicken sleep in the nesting box and the other two lay on the floor. We've installed bars in there for them to roost and they just don't.
They lay in one specific corner and poop all the time which makes me think that's how they got the vent gleet. So now I'm cleaning that corner out daily.
Has this happened to anyone else before? Have any recommendations?

 

[Welshies]

Are your nesting boxes below or above your roosts? How much roost space do you have? How high are the roosts? What is used for the roosts? How old are your chickens?

 

[Sassysouth]

Post a picture of your setup.

 

[Palinor]

Are your nesting boxes below or above your roosts? How much roost space do you have? How high are the roosts? What is used for the roosts? How old are your chickens?

the nesting boxes are to the side of the roosts.The roosts are some board kitty corner in the coop at varying heights. I want to say the roost space takes up a couple of feet. I'll post a picture

 

[Palinor]

So to the right on the boxes in that open space is where the boards are now for them to roost. It's some boards and some branches (Sorry I don't have a current pic)

 

[Pandasbecats]

My 5 month old Buff Orpington Peepers has the same problem. For the first 3 months I had her it was taking a while to finish the coop so she stayed in garageville for all that time. I let her roam and sit wherever she wanted with the other pullets but besides box edges I never got around to making them a real roost.

When I moved the flock to their new home all of them immediately took to the roosts except my silkies and Peepers. Eventually though, despite a couple of days of me coming in and moving them onto the roosts only the silkies got the message. Little Peepers seems to just like her shavings!

 

[Welshies]

It's hard to understand your setup. I'll do my best with what I have.
Your roosts should be 10-12" away from the wall. That may be your issue.
I would lower those nest boxes to ground level and give roosts at 3 and 4 feet. 12" of roost space per bird.
Make sure they can't move, or your birds will be dettered from roosting.
Birds younger than 12 weeks often don't roost.
I'd block off your nest boxes.

 

[Palinor]

It's hard to understand your setup. I'll do my best with what I have.
Your roosts should be 10-12" away from the wall. That may be your issue.
I would lower those nest boxes to ground level and give roosts at 3 and 4 feet. 12" of roost space per bird.
Make sure they can't move, or your birds will be dettered from roosting.
Birds younger than 12 weeks often don't roost.
I'd block off your nest boxes.

block off the nesting boxes?

 

[Welshies]

block off the nesting boxes?

Yes. It will stop them sleeping in them. If birds sleep in nesting boxes, they sometimes refuse to lay in them.

 

[Splendid Medley]

Do you have a bully chicken, or are your nesting box hens not being allowed on the roost? My chickens have similar behavior. For mine, this is space issue and also has to do with their group dynamic. The two roosting bars are parallel and too close to coup floor. It was a poor design. The nesting boxes are to the side, and the tops of them are higher than the roosting bars. Out of the four girls, we have a boss, her enforcer, and two subordinates. They are very bonded and don't really bully each other too much except when Daisy, the chicken with the lowest rank, is too presumptuous. They clearly care about her though as I posted here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...r-unhappy-cold-chicken.1216749/#post-19428150. The boss always sleeps on top of the nesting box with her enforcer across from her. The other two either roost or sleep in the nesting boxes under the other chickens. I feel like they may rotate to share the warmth. In summer they all sleep on the roof, and rotate who is on the far end, except the boss who is always in front.