2 week old chicks needing a roost!

[kybeagle]

The chicks are wanting to set on top of the waterer or on top of the feeders. I have 21 chicks in a brooder that is 3 ft. wide, 8 ft. long and 2 ft. tall; which seems to be large enough right now but the chicks seem like they are wanting something to stand on. Does anyone have pics that they could post which will give me an idea on what I should build to put in the brooder. I thought I would put a couple roost in each end of the brooder! Thanks!

 

[justcorn]

I just did the same thing for our 3 week old chicks. They were showing that they needed to roost, so I just cut some srap 1x2 that I had laying around. We are using a galvanized water trough, it is 24 inches wide so i cut my 1x2s just a bit larger so they wedge between the sides, and I can place them anywhere I need. sorry no pics... Justin

 

[bubbazmommy]

Our brooder has hardware cloth sides so I put two dowel rods through the holes and ziptied around the dowel on the outside of the brooder to keep it from slipping.

 

[rainierlass]

I just threw a couple together using some scrap wood also - they loved them - they went out to the enclosed coop and used them til they were about 8 weeks or so.....or I should say until they were WAYYYYYY too big for them!

 

[hd_darcy]

I love this idea! I have a "dumb" question... Do the chickens just like to be higher off the ground? Is that the point of a roost? It doesnt' matter that their feet aren't wrapped around what they are standing on? Thanks!

 

[MareeZoCool]

Quote:

I had to jump in! darcy, Please don't ever feel a question is dumb. Every question gives an education to someone once it is answered correctly. So, asking questions is SMART!

Chickens, like most birds, need a variety of things to stand on. higher,wider, all of different varieties, so they can move around doing their bird thing. Different size boards & branches help their feet from getting cramped.( I learned this advice about caged birds)~ makes sense, to me, & it can't hurt to give them some variety.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I did something similar to Rainierlass. I took two scrap pieces of 2x4 about 6 to 8" long, turned them on edge so the top was about 3-1/2" high, and screwed a strip of wood about an inch wide to those. I sanded it just enough to get rid of the splinters. It probably took longer to carry it to the brooder than to put it together. Two scrap pieces of 2x4, one scrap strip of wood, and two screws.

You can knock something rough together or you can painstakenly build a work of art, whatever your inclinations are. The chicks will be happy with either.

Good luck!

 

[sreihart]

I have 4-day old chicks and one of them insists on climbing up the thermometer in the brooder. I decided that she wanted to roost so last night I decided to build a quick roost for them to play around on. I found an old broom stick and some scrap pieces of lumber lying around so it was basically free. Here's what I came up with:

It's probably a little high for them at this point but one of them likes climbing around on it. Chicks are so much fun and I'm having a blast with them!

 

[Orp]

What about when they are in their coop? Is there an ideal height or spacing for the roost?