Official BYC Poll: What Kind of Roost(s) Do You Have Installed?

[Powerhour]

I use branches but still have a couple of gals that pile into the nest. Throw them out every night at dusk otherwise I get dirty eggs the next morning. Would love to solve that problem.

 

[BDutch]

I use branches but still have a couple of gals that pile into the nest. Throw them out every night at dusk otherwise I get dirty eggs the next morning. Would love to solve that problem.

Block the nests every evening before sunset. And open them again before you go to sleep. After a few weeks/ a month they probably will not return to that habit.

 

[sadielady21]

Lots of humans overlook the importance of roosts (aka perches), but chickens don't. The natural way for a chicken to sleep is by sitting on a roost. Nope, they don't like beds or the ground. Only hens with chicks, injured chickens, and sometimes silkies (if they can't reach the roost) will sleep on the ground. In the wild, a flock of chickens tries to get as high off the ground as they can at night, most often in the branches of a tree. They do this to help them stay safe from land predators. Moral: please provide your chickens roosts to sleep on!

What kind of roost(s) do you have installed?

Multiple answers are possible and please tell us if you did anything to prevent foot or mite problems /show us your roost with a picture down in the comments section.

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Here are some interesting reads:

• The perch experiment
• Perch for roost, shape/size experimental findings

If you are wondering what roost shapes other keepers of chickens use, check out this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...osts-do-you-use-in-your-chicken-coop.1403365/

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I’ve got pine tree branches as roosts in my coop! Each one is just a touch over six feet long, and spaced about 18 inches apart!

 

[AFG]

I've got 2x4's wide side up in a stadium seating arrangement starting at 3ft off the floor going up to 7ft high. I do have a box about 15" high as a launch/landing pad for the big girls.

 

[Granitestater]

My Omlet Eglu comes with a roost area with a plastic roost bars that lift out in one piece. Below is a tray to catch droppings, which acts like a cat litter box. Super easy to clean every day and hens like it.

Please could you give us a picture. I like the idea of catching the droppings! I spread newspapers under them every night but slways hsve an overabundance of them to get rid of.

 

[Granitestater]

I use thick branches. No exposed toes when they sit down. They seem happy.

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Your girls look like theyre sitting there watching television! What a lovely picture Nice bright coop; Im working on my hubby to put a window in mine; its 8 ft high but needs more light.

 

[Granitestater]

Pvc pipe in most of the brooders since they are usually in trees by the time they actually begin to roost. I do use branches in some spots, but mainly in brooders I run on the ground when we have too many chicks together that we incubated. Large numbers of chicks without a hen tend to take way longer to roost in trees. This is because the ones that try to roost in trees earlier will come back down to the lazy ones that want back in the brooder at night.

What state are you in?

 

[Granitestater]

I have the same but covered them with carpet for the winter

oh wow! Do they like the softness of the carpet? Seems like it would be very gentle for their feet. I think a good idea. How did you attach/cinch up the carpet?

 

[BoogieWight]

What state are you in?

I live in Central Mississippi so the cold ain't really an issue.

 

[lifein1840]

2x4 wide side up, 2x2 edging on poop board, and right on the poop board.....
....my birds use them all.
It's not rocket surgery.

I'm always telling my hubby "It's not rocket surgery" - he just shakes his head and walks away......