Best materials for roosts?

[RNPAULIE69]

I have two roosting areas in my run..one is a large dowel and the other is a 2x4 flat side up..all spring and summer the girls would take a mid morning nap on the dowel. Once the temps hit 30s and below they haven't touched it. They use the 2x4 exclusively. We have had a few days where it was quite nice outside and they were back on the dowels!

 

[Meg-in-MT]

I have two roosting areas in my run..one is a large dowel and the other is a 2x4 flat side up..all spring and summer the girls would take a mid morning nap on the dowel. Once the temps hit 30s and below they haven't touched it. They use the 2x4 exclusively. We have had a few days where it was quite nice outside and they were back on the dowels!

Interesting to have someone with both to compare! Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Chelseyb123]

I really like your set up! Its very cool an interesting. I think i may just keep the branches but make a ladder outta the suggested sizes above. I have all big hardy birds btw.

There's definitely several different opinions on this point. I was told flat was better by someone who had trouble with rats or mice nibbling on the birds exposed claws while they slept on two inch round roost.

My roosting bar runs down one whole side of my tractor, and is a five quarter by six Inch (apparently that's lumber code for a true one inch thick deck board, that's really one inch by 5.5 inches).

It's a long span (16 feet), so I turned a salt treated 16 foot, 2x6 short side up, and put the 16 foot deck board over it. The 2x6 keeps the deck board from sagging or wobbling. I liked the deck board edges were already rounded, it only took a few extra minutes to also sand them a little smoother.

View attachment 1253659
On the left you see the deck board on the 2x6. At the other end of the tractor is another deck board, but also a couple of 2x4's, short side up, sanded, and finally you see 2 inch PVC schedule 40 pipe covering the scaffold bracing that keeps the frame of the tractor rigid.

I put a bolt through the PVC pipe and bracing to keep it from spinning, and wrapped it in Gorilla tape to make it warmer, and to give them more bite on the surface when they perch on it, which they do during the day.

For what it's worth, the birds all roost on the 5.5 inch wide deck board, in the left corner, closest to the door.

I went this way to avoid rat or mice problems. How real that concern is, I don't know.

Having made that choice, here's the advantages I can see. No mice bites, they can cover and keep their claws warm, with a metal six inch drywall knife, a quick walk down the perch and poop is gone, and finally, it really does add practical and useful space the birds use. They run up and down the board all day long and easily pass each other, that passing ability also helps when they settle in to roost, they can work out, who's next to who better.

View attachment 1253687

As much as we agonize over this issue, I'm not at all sure the birds care, one way or the other, they're pretty versatile.

 

[Chelseyb123]

But can someone answer my other question its on page three. Thank you all for showing me what you using and why.

 

[aart]

I like 2x4's for roosts.

 

[sgrzybin]

I have used several types of roosting material and have gone with the traditional landscape timber. It is flat on two sides and round on two sides but both round and flat sides are wide enough to allow them to cover their feet in the winter. They come in 8ft lengths and are cheap. I have put the round side up but slightly at an angle to allow poop to pretty much just run off. They require very little cleaning of the roost since it all drops to the straw below.

 

[Apis mellifera]

I have smooth branches/logs about 5 inches in diameter. What I noticed from some of the photos is that my round perches don't seems to get nearly as dirty as flat 2x4. I like looks of round perches and for some reason I think they're more comfortable for them.

 

[Eggscoozme]

Before I put in my 2 cents, I have to say, after reading many posts, I got a good hard giggle going. Thank you all for that, and I say that respectfully. Now for my 2 cents: I've used 2 x 2's, 2 x 4's, 2 x 6's, tree logs, straw bales stacked up, upside down milk crates, cinderblocks, stackable coated shelving units, just to name a few roost areas and they were all doable with no ill effects; however, a freaky thing happened with a cinderblock. I had a open-face waterer ontop of a cinderblock (not meant for roosting), and a chicken huddled up to it one very cold night (although there was space for her to be elsewhere), and some how, water from the waterer got onto her and she literally was STUCK to the cinderbock. I had to cut her feathers loose from it to free her. The MOST important thing for me to mind regarding roosts, is to not make them high off the ground. I don't care how much the chickens might love it, it's not necessary. I've had too many chicken end up with bumblefoot, and I strongly believe it's from them jumping down from too high a roost. I have hard, lightly padded floors, to nearly a foot thick of straw bedding, and each year a chicken was getting bumblefoot. Now that my roosts are no taller than about a foot, no more bumblefoot.

 

[Chelseyb123]

Poor thing. My plans are on page three. This space im adding to my coop is where im moving my roosts. I think making a ladder and keeping the branches for options an see what they go for more at night. I had a little ladder in there that was similar to sizes above for the roost part but it seemed like they didn't care for it much after adding the branches.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

Too true about the a variety of things working. My younger birds use the roost I shared, but my six oldest birds sleep on a railroad tie. They also like to roost on top of the door in the evening until I go out there and remove them to close it. My shyest birds like it there, but they don’t seem to get the message that choosing that roost means I will have to handle them to take them down at night!