Australorps breed Thread

[WendyF]

So you are saying use the wider part of the 2 x 4 for them to roost on ?
I read somewhere a while back to use the the 2 inch side ...I will try changing the roost to see which one they like ..

i have read that letting them roost on the 4" side of the board is preferable, for foot stability & health. Also, in cold winters, all of their foot will be covered with feathers on a roost this wide preventing frost bite.

 

[lightchick]

Hi guys!! I got my new chicks and I don't have any roos anymore! (as long as the chicks I picked up are girls!) I was looking at all the chicks and couldn't decide and then the guy said that he had a couple that had just hatched in the incubator (the other chick were already a week and up). So I got both the chicks that were in the incubator! They were still damp, but not wet. The are soooo cute! I wing/feather sexed them and the white one was a for sure girl and the other has two rows of pin feather it's just that the rows are a little closer together. After I picked them up I braught them home and turned on the heat lamp. 20 minutes later the heat lamp BURNED OUT! So I used a normal light bulb and covered the top of the brooder. They chick made it through the night and are still damp in some places but are mostly dry. The striped one is a EE. But I read somewhere that if thy have a pea comb then they will lay blue eggs. The striped one has a pea comb (that's pretty much non existent) and a beard. The white chick is a girl and probably a mix of something. Most of the chicks there were mixes because it's just a farm with all their breeds living together and they just gather and hatch their eggs. I'm hoping the white one turns out mostly white.
.

 

[chickisoup]

Cute babies!!!

 

[funny farmer]

The bigger the chicken the larger the board has to be. For Show chickens, using 2 inches will cause them to rest on their breast and bend the keel--points of at the show.

It will help with their feet to go to 4 inches.

So... I put in my 2 x 4's last night and they wouldn't have anything to do with them. They just walked around in circles looking at them, cackling and complaining, so I put the 2 x 2's back in as well till they get used to the 2x4's then I'll take them out. I also put the roosts down lower, but they insist on roosting up high (about 5 feet) near the ceiling of the coop, even the one with the foot issue. Go figure!!!

 

[ronott1]

So... I put in my 2 x 4's last night and they wouldn't have anything to do with them. They just walked around in circles looking at them, cackling and complaining, so I put the 2 x 2's back in as well till they get used to the 2x4's then I'll take them out. I also put the roosts down lower, but they insist on roosting up high (about 5 feet) near the ceiling of the coop, even the one with the foot issue. Go figure!!!

chickens can be silly. They often do not like changes.

If they insist on going up high, make them a ramp.

 

[funny farmer]

chickens can be silly. They often do not like changes.

If they insist on going up high, make them a ramp.

Actually the way the roosts are set up, they can hop from one to another to get up there. They have no problem getting up there. Although, I think I'll try to replace the highest roost with a 2x4 and see what happens.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
Yes that is what I would recommend

 

[chickisoup]

Finally got some new pics of my Cackle Hatchery BA chicks who are now 10 wks old for whomever asked for them.

What do you think Ron? Honesty appreciated

checkin' out the new kids

 

[LynneP]

We left a huge roost with 4" boards in tact but added
platforms- what a hit!

 

[getaclue]

I guess I broke all the rules about roosts. I had owned cockatiels prior to owning chickens. I had read that it was better to use a branch for a perch than the dowels, because standing on the same diameter perch all the time was not good for their feet, and the variety of diameters offered by using a branch allowed them to flex their feet more. I used this same line of thinking when I built my roosts. Yes, I know chickens are not cockatiels, but I've seen chickens fly up into low branches of trees to roost when free ranged. Fortunately there are quite a few very large oak trees on the property, and after a good wind, there are sometimes some good sized limbs that fall. When this would happen, I got a saw, and cut the nicer sized limbs into useable lengths, then set them aside until needed. When I built the roosts, I had them at 18 inches tall, however, I recently raised them just a little when I put in the grow-out pen. (They jump on the grow-out pen, which is 33 inches tall, and down to the ground) I have sand flooring in my coop, so it's a fairly soft landing. They seem to like the arrangement, and so do I. I've never had any new foot issues with them, so far.