2x2s for roosting poles

[Sefirothe]

If you ask my chickens, the majority seem to prefer the short side of the 2x4 that's attached to the front of the poop board to create a lip.

One and only one consistently chooses the wide side of the 2x4 roost. They've all only been in the coop for about a week tho.

Chickens.

 

[NatJ]

If you ask my chickens, the majority seem to prefer the short side of the 2x4 that's attached to the front of the poop board to create a lip.

One and only one consistently chooses the wide side of the 2x4 roost. They've all only been in the coop for about a week tho.

Chickens.

View attachment 3729385

That is interesting.

Chickens usually want to sleep on the highest thing available (which is why the common advice is to put roosts higher than nestboxes.) So them choosing the lower option seems especially noteworthy to me.

Then again, maybe the lip "feels" higher because they can see the floor directly below them, as compared with sitting on the roost and seeing the poop board directly below.

I wonder what would happen if you turn that roost to have the 2" side up. Would they all move up? Or would they still prefer the lip?

 

[Smokerbill]

My nest boxes are actually cardboard boxes on the floor of the run, so the 18" high roosting bar is well above that level. Maybe the single chicken on the high roost is at the top of the pecking order and won't let the others get up there with her.

 

[Huntmaster]

There is a good older thread called (The perch experiment) that has some good info.

 

[TexasBlues]

The 2x4s wide side up gives the chickens room to rest on their keel and also to cover their feet and keep them warm.

 

[Sefirothe]

My nest boxes are actually cardboard boxes on the floor of the run, so the 18" high roosting bar is well above that level. Maybe the single chicken on the high roost is at the top of the pecking order and won't let the others get up there with her.

She's actually the lowest on the pecking order and always keeps her distance from the others. They settle into where they want, and the she gets the left overs.

 

[DLA]

The 2x4s wide side up gives the chickens room to rest on their keel and also to cover their feet and keep them warm.

I agree with that! Also depends on the size of the chickens. My RIR are big girls so they need their space but smaller/lighter or bantams would do fine on a 2x2. You can kind of see my 3 step roost I built. In the winter they all cram together on the top bar but in the summer when it's warm they spread out to the 2nd roost down and it's easier to get down for them when they don't want to use the ramp.

 

[Sefirothe]

That is interesting.

Chickens usually want to sleep on the highest thing available (which is why the common advice is to put roosts higher than nestboxes.) So them choosing the lower option seems especially noteworthy to me.

Then again, maybe the lip "feels" higher because they can see the floor directly below them, as compared with sitting on the roost and seeing the poop board directly below.

I wonder what would happen if you turn that roost to have the 2" side up. Would they all move up? Or would they still prefer the lip?

I have a feeling they feel higher as you say, seeing the floor underneath them easier. They also grew up roosting on the lip of their grow out coop roof.

 

[0die]

2x2 with beveled/rounded edges.

they are birds. nature designed them to roost on branches. Branches grow round in nature. Don't try to out-think mother nature.

 

[MamaPoult]

I use a 2×6 on edge in my coop. It gets 40 below zero here and I've never had any frostbite either.