Hens roosting on henhouse roof

[valeriebutterley]

Has anyone any idea what to use for a preventative to stop the girls using their roof to roost on at nights?
Since I have had my new girls, apart from Phyllis Light, they all, without exception roost outside on the roof. So until the last 3 or 4 days, every night I go out and lift them bodily and put them into roost, but really it is a pain to have to do it all the time.
I tried Googling for such a thing and only really nasty pigeon spikes seem available, or a plastic strip with points on that is very expensive when you need 4ft of it. Anybody any innovative ideas please?
There is also my Leghorns combs to consider in freezing weather. I did wonder if redmite were lurking (or thriving!) and this accounted for their refusal to bed on lovely roosts inside, but no problem, no sign at all, crannies, perch ends.
I would appear that the flock have their own idea about roosting.
My Pekin babies are thriving outside, the little boys are crowing, such a tiny little crowette, very civilised. I still have to get rid of them. One has turned out to be a very lightly marked Millefleur and the other I can only describe as mottled buff. Any takers? (Please) All are pure bred.
The girls are lemon cuckoo and buffish. Healthy, feisty and tame and delightful.

 

[chrismahon]

My neighbour had this problem, but it turned out to be red mite Valerie -unlikely reason this time of year. Can you confine them to a run which doesn't give them access to a roof for a few days, so they get the idea?

 

[Marigold]

Crazy idea, lateral thinking - how about you get a piece of 2"X1" wood the same length as the ridge of the house, also some 1/4" dowelling. Cut the dowel into 2" pieces and sharpen them one end with a pencil sharpener. (Or recycle all those old pencils you've got hanging around the place.) Drill 1/4" holes in the piece of wood and glue the dowels in upright, to make uncomfortable but non-damaging spikes. Fix the contraption to the ridge of the coop.

 

[valeriebutterley]

Chris, thanks, but not possible.
Marigold, thanks, have only one usable good hand and arm, and I am not a carpenter, no skills that way at all.
All the roof things available are really nasty. No redmite, thoroughly checked on that, and after being put in the hut nightly for 6 months, they do not get the idea at all, it is another problem I have not come across.
The absolute joy of being a chicken keeper!

 

[Marigold]

Well, if they're happy up there, is the run secure enough to just leave them to get on with it? It's natural behaviour, after all - chicken coops have only been invented a blink of an eye ago, in the evolutionary timescale, I suppose.