2 x 6 vs. 2 x 4 roost

[LD Jackson]

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What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[HEChicken]

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x2. Mine almost never go directly from the roost to the nesting boxes. By the time they go to lay their egg, their feet are clean (if they were ever dirty). I've had a 2x6 as the roost for several months and haven't noticed any difference in the cleanliness of the eggs.

 

[LD Jackson]

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x2. Mine almost never go directly from the roost to the nesting boxes. By the time they go to lay their egg, their feet are clean (if they were ever dirty). I've had a 2x6 as the roost for several months and haven't noticed any difference in the cleanliness of the eggs.

Thanks for sharing your experience, HEChicken. You have given me more food for thought. Hope you guys are all safe and sound through these storms.

 

[Speed]

I have a 1 1/2" x 2" (about 18" long) for 1 roost, then I have a 2" x 2" that's 28" long, there's a 2" x 3" that is about 4 feet long it's facing so the 3" is flat, I screwed them all in and then gave the edges a quick knock down with the belt sander, and lastly there's a tree branch about 2 1/2" round that goes the length of the coop in front of the nesting boxes, the bark is still on it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't worry about the tree branches being straight. My chickens don't seem to worry about it either. Some of them even prefer to sleep on the narrower sections.

I mounted mine by drilling a hole through the tree limb, then the support, and put a large nail through it. Very easy to take down when I want to.

 

[patandchickens]

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It doesn't have to be real straight. Some bends and dips and such are perfectly fine.

Also might have trouble fastening it down properly.

Nope, that's super easy. Cut it to length, making sure the ends are cut so that they're reasonably snug to the coop walls (not real gappy). Screw big metal shelf bracket to the coop wall under where you want each end to go. Then put the roost in place and shoot two 3" deck screws up thru the holes in the shelf bracket into the underside of the branch. There ya go. Quite sturdy.

(Actually one of mine is instead attached by screwing short 2x4 cleats to the wall, one at each end, perching the branch on them, and then toe-screwing thru the branch into the wall to fix it in place... but the shelf bracket version is both easier AND structurally better, and I should have done them both that way

)

GOod luck, have fun,

Pat​