best material for roosting poles?

[momoeight]

Hmmm! I am brand new to all this. But you can certainly tell from most posts who is a pet person vs a food person!! I haven't decided which one I am yet. Thought I was going to be a food person, but my little chickies are making me transform into a pet person!! Now I have to decide if I want comfy roosts or practical roosts as we are building to coop TODAY!!

 

[MVchickens]

I use 2x3's with the top slightly rounded. I found that the 2x4's collect to much poop.

 

[frostbite]

Thanks MV Chickens, that's the most useful post I've seen today! I am changing my plan.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
That's another reason I like the rounded, lovely branches. No poop, more conducive to comfort and I never see toes when looking up under them while the birds are on the rooost, so if this is the only reason one is using 2x4s just install saplings that are big enough for the size of the bird.

 

[wannalive]

Quote:
i understand what you are saying, about trying to keep it natual. natural isnt always best, in nature there is a much higher mortality rate. in captivity we can provide much better.. and to add to that, in nature they would be under constant threat from predators, do you have a problem with fenceing to keep predators out.. i mean that aint natural.. how about ppl having coops, they dont have coops in nature. what about feed, store bought grit, oyster shell, do you provide that.. its not readily available in nature.... lol.. may be a extreme comparison, but you get my drift.. my point is, even if it aint natural, it i can better provide for my chicks i will....

 

[gale65]

2 x 4s are fine for me too. DH built me a new coop, all to my specs (mostly-we are dealing with some space restraints here) and the last thing I'm going to ask him to do is go to the woods and look for long branches to make a roost.

 

[chickenstricken]

Quote:
Well I switched the round poles that they never roosted on with 2x3's today. I put 2 skinny side up, and one flat, to see which they prefer. I just checked on them and 3 of the 6 were sleeping on the new perches.

Nobody was on the wide perch. Hopefully the other 3 will figure it out. If nobody continues to use the wide perch, I will turn it.

 

[7L Farm]

I picked some bamboo up from the coast & now use it for a perch

 

[simplynewt]

I am probably going to get started on furnishing the inside of my coop today. I have painted the floor of the coop and was wondering if the roost should get painted as well or should I leave it natural. They roost will consist of branches that have washed down the creek so they are smooth and weathered.

 

[ki4got]

coming from a caged bird perspective, i prefer natural branches because always perching on the same surface day after day can cause sores on their feet. that being said, chickens tend to spend most of their day on the ground, not on a perch, so they don't tend to develop sores as easily as a caged bird. whatever you choose for your bird, by varying the size, angle, etc, your birds can choose which is most comfortable to them.

but when choosing natural branches, keep a couple things in mind. choose a wood that is safe for the birds, from healthy trees, that has not been sprayed with pesticide or fertilizers recently.

my personal choices for branches are dogwood, maple, poplar, and most fruit trees. these are all safe woods. granted chickens aren't as likely to try chewing the wood as a caged bird might, but why take the chance? as for size, since chickens aren't 'grippers' like many parrots and finches, i would recommend finding a branch that is at least 1-2x the diameter of the length of the chicken's foot.

and no, i wouldn't paint them.