Why won't All of the chickens use thier roost?

[pHENtHOUSE]

I just finished putting in 2X3 roost boards w/poop boards under. The chickens will roost if we physically put them up there but most won't go up on their own. I'm thinking my ladder is to narrow? The coop is 6X8 and the floor is crowded when I have the little cage for the little ones under the heat lamp. Our 4-H chickens are about 2.5 months old. There are 18 chickens and 4 ducks. The ducks take up most the floor and it would be great if the rest would use the roost!

 

[4 the Birds]

Wow! You have some serious height to those roost bars. Not sure of the distance to the floor. Do you use a step ladder to clean the poop boards? I would think that the ramp needs many more traction slats for that height and angle. Young birds would especially avoid that ramp. The width may be OK as long as a bird does not meet another one half way up and going the other way.

I would consider lowering the roosts to about 30 to 36" from the floor and hopefully that is above your nest boxes.

 

[popsicle]

What breeds are your chickens? How steep is the angle of the ramp?

I don't think you need to lower the roosts--just make the roosts more accessible. The roosts in my coop are 6' high, all my birds sleep up there--including my 8-week olds, and my super huge 1+ year old Jersey Giant and Brahmas.
Here's the only picture I could find showing the height and the access ladder (on the right):

 

[pHENtHOUSE]

I am 5'2" and the roosts are above my head but easily reached. The shed/coop is 6' tall. I'll try adding more rungs for them and maybe widening the ramp. It's a little cramped with the inside cage in there and the angle on the ramp is pretty steep. Not too much room to get a less steep grade.On the left hand side of the coop I have double decker nesting boxes so it would be hard to lower the roosts and poop boards.

I have 4 Waynedottes, 3 Bantoms, 4 Orpingtons, 2 Turkens, 1 Black Sex Link, 4 Americaunas (Maybe they are Easter Eggers but that's another story), 2 Black Swedish Ducks and 2 Khaki Campbell Ducks -- soon to add out of the babies, 1 more frizzle Bantom and 3 Australorps. Like the signs says, "Chickens are like potato chips - Can't just have one!

Maybe I could try a zig-zag ramp at the front of the coop with a landing. These guys are turning into quite a project! It's fun though.