BEST roosts ??

[MeepBeep]

I could easily wrap a pipe in foam but I see where creating the air space could be challenging. I will think about this some.

The foam would have to be a foam rubber tough enough and dense enough to avoid the chickens 'crack like' habit of pecking and eating foam...

Then you have chickens eating paint chips which is not real great (for them or you)

Modern latex/acrylic paints are for all intents inert once dried and cured...

But, I would leave them plain wood anyway, they well get a nice ground in poop light gray/brown look to them soon enough...

 

[sfurbish]

I moved my girls out to the coop when they were about 7 weeks old. I gave them both 2x4 and 2x3 wide side up roosts at the same height and swapped locations every few days to see which ones they used. They overwhelmingly preferred the 2x3s and in fact didn't use the 2x4s at all, but now that they are 14 weeks old I'm thinking about trying the 2x4s again. I have Buff Orpingtons, Speckled Sussex, a Barred Rock, Black Australorps and Easter Eggers. They have been using the 2x4 perch I put in their run during the afternoons. They like to walk it like a balance beam.

 

[SueT]

Last year we made a roost out of a 4" diameter walnut branch. Left the bark on. The hens love it.

 

[Leigti]

Last year we made a roost out of a 4" diameter walnut branch. Left the bark on. The hens love it.

I think that is probably the best approach. Not everybody has access to it but I think that would be the way to go if at all possible.

 

[ksguy]

Last year we made a roost out of a 4" diameter walnut branch. Left the bark on. The hens love it.

+100 to this post.

I'll go ahead and be the guy that says it: unfortunately I believe you're going to find as many "best roost" answers as you get replies to your thread and I believe most people wind up choosing a material based on which reply was most appealing to them.

That said, I'll toss in my two cents. In my mind the best, most natural roost is a textured round material with a diameter not smaller than the length of an adult chicken's foot (tree branch). A chicken's foot naturally curls around and grips a round surface, helping them stay roosted when asleep. The study mentioned earlier in this thread was an interesting read, particularly regarding the foam rubber cushioning. However I have my doubts that over the long term the chickens wouldn't start pecking at and destroying the material.

I think what it comes down to is the best roost for you is made with the materials that are available to you and meet the design and space constraints of your coop and flock size. If you can get your hands on ideally sized branches, I'd go that way. If all that's available is 2x4 lumber, lay a 2x4 wide side up. If all that's available is 2x2 lumber, use a 2x2. If all that's available is an old collection of wooden baseball bats, rig 'em up and let 'em roost.

My roosts, made of logs from a hedge tree I cut down (old picture, the ramp was only that steep for a day or two):

 

[HaloAmanda]

+100 to this post. I'll go ahead and be the guy that says it: unfortunately I believe you're going to find as many "best roost" answers as you get replies to your thread and I believe most people wind up choosing a material based on which reply was most appealing to them. That said, I'll toss in my two cents. In my mind the best, most natural roost is a textured round material with a diameter not smaller than the length of an adult chicken's foot (tree branch). A chicken's foot naturally curls around and grips a round surface, helping them stay roosted when asleep. The study mentioned earlier in this thread was an interesting read, particularly regarding the foam rubber cushioning. However I have my doubts that over the long term the chickens wouldn't start pecking at and destroying the material. I think what it comes down to is the best roost for you is made with the materials that are available to you and meet the design and space constraints of your coop and flock size. If you can get your hands on ideally sized branches, I'd go that way. If all that's available is 2x4 lumber, lay a 2x4 wide side up. If all that's available is 2x2 lumber, use a 2x2. If all that's available is an old collection of wooden baseball bats, rig 'em up and let 'em roost. :yiipchick My roosts, made of logs from a hedge tree I cut down (old picture, the ramp was only that steep for a day or two):

The branch makes much more sense to me and just seems more natural. I thought there was a reason people weren't using them. I am more than happy to go exploring amd get some larger branches. Are there certain types of wood that you would not reccomend and Do you do anything to treat the wood for bugs or mites?

 

[Hokum Coco]

Branches or 2x4's?
It is my experience even when you let the chickens decide you get mixed reviews.

 

[HaloAmanda]

Branches or 2x4's?
It is my experience even when you let the chickens decide you get mixed reviews.

Yeah I'm gonna have an L shaped roosting area along the front and left wall f the coop. So two 4' roosts and two 8'roosts so I'm thinking of offering a few different kinds unless I get solid reasons on why not to. I'm thinking 2 or 3 different branches and 1 or 2 2x4s.

 

[triplepurpose]

i am a fan of round branchy type roosts as well, when available. since chickens originally roosted in trees, and some still do, it just makes sense to me--nature already figured this out, why reinvent the wheel. also, round shape is nice if you go with a ladder-type roost (or any type really) because then you don't have to worry about the top being level or flat and you can just lean them up anywhere and be done.

 

[Howard E]

I'm in agreement that a natural round branch probably best mimics what a bird would use in the wild.....and probably one small enough to lock their feet around......which BTW, is also small enough that likely as not it would not support the weight of a bird and a predator who would climb a tree and venture out on the limb to nab the bird. But that same tree limb, with bark still on......when placed in a hen house is a good place to harbor parasites, like mites. In the wild, the birds would likely move often enough that would never be a problem, but once confined into a hen house, using the same roost bars all the time, it can be.

So historically, roost bars were made from 1" x 2" smooth lumber on edge (narrow side up) for smaller breeds like bantams and leghorns, and 2" x 2" lumber with top edges rounded over for the larger breeds like most of us now keep. In days of old, if mites became a problem the smooth wood roost bars would get a wipe down with mineral oil, which suffocated the mites.

I've been in a number of these old houses that either had the roost bars laid out over 1" x 2" wire (tacked to the bottom of the roost bars), which were suspended over a boxed in droppings pit, which was simply allowed to build up and was cleaned out once or twice a year. Or, some and even more so in smaller houses where space was tight, used roost bars suspended over droppings boards, with next boxes under the droppings boards and floor space beneath. That meant a lot more work, but I guess if they were in the house every day anyway, as they would be to gather eggs, feed and water, etc, cleaning up the droppings boards now and then was just one more job.