Building a Perch in the Coop

[theawesomechick]

Hi, we built our coop a week or so ago and now I'm worrying over how to add a perch for the chickens inside! I'm wondering if I should drill holes in the wall or what... Oh, and how wide should the perch be? We have a ton of branches just lying around and I'm wondering if one of them would do...

 

[Chickens R Us]

I use a 2x4as a perch 4" side up, its better to keep their feet warm in the winter. I nailed short 2x4's to the wall then placed the perch 2x4 on top of that and nailed it to the short 2x4

 

[Tigertrea]

I used tree limbs for my roosts. The widest point on the branches is around 4.5" the narrowest around 3". No problems with toes freezing in the winter last year.

We made "brackets" out of 2X4s. I wish I had a pic to show you. They are not pretty at all but, they work. It is really just a "U" so I can remove the perches for cleaning.

 

[theawesomechick]

Thanks, I think I'll steal the "bracket" idea, and I'm thinking about using flat perches, but it doesn't get very cold here...

 

[fiddlebanshee]

If you can span the coop from wall to wall, you just need to attach short pieces of 2x4 flat to the wall screwed or nailed into a stud, and then let the perch rest on those, nailing or screwing them to the short pieces from the top or the bottom. I have also somtimes just put two screws at each side of the perch so that it is wedged between them and then I can easily take it down if I have to. If the perches are very long, I just add some pieces of 2x4 in the middle to support the weight and I toenail or screw those to the poopshelf that I have underneath the roosts, or you could nail them to the floor.

Just make sure the whole contraption is sturdy and doesn't wobble sideways as they jump on it. A couple of birds jumping on the roosts at the same time can knock these things over easily.

Edited because I really do know the difference between "knock" and "know"

 

[debid]

I used something like the bracket idea for branches only ours are shaped like a V with the bottom open an inch or so (so nothing can collect there). The branches stay put thanks to gravity but are still easy to lift out to clean/replace as needed. In another spot, there is one suspended from the ceiling using pipe hangers. Lots of options!

BTW, the pipe hanger one moves a bit when they jump on. Not like a swing but hardly immovable. They don't seem to mind.

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

We attached U brackets (joist hangers) on both walls so the roost can be taken out and cleaned. Covered the 2 x 4 with indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot.

 

[TimM]

I'll add one hint that I learned about perches. After seeing that about 90 percent of the poop in the coop is under the perch, I got smart and added a 'poop platform' directly under the perch but above the floor. That way all that night-time poop doesn't get mixed in with the bedding on the floor. It all accumulates on the poop platform, where it is easy to scrape off into a waste container. The bedding stays clean a LOT longer now, and it is easy to keep the place odor free.

Tim

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I'll add one hint that I learned about perches. After seeing that about 90 percent of the poop in the coop is under the perch, I got smart and added a 'poop platform' directly under the perch but above the floor. That way all that night-time poop doesn't get mixed in with the bedding on the floor. It all accumulates on the poop platform, where it is easy to scrape off into a waste container. The bedding stays clean a LOT longer now, and it is easy to keep the place odor free.

Tim

The next step up from there is to cover the platform with pdz or sand. No odors, no scraping, just a quick scooping as you would a cat litterbox. Takes me about 2 minutes for a coop with 14 chickens. I do it every day as part of the regular checking up on the chickens. Even in 90 degree weather there is no odor from the coop.

 

[Chickens R Us]

The next step up from there is to cover the platform with pdz or sand. No odors, no scraping, just a quick scooping as you would a cat litterbox. Takes me about 2 minutes for a coop with 14 chickens. I do it every day as part of the regular checking up on the chickens. Even in 90 degree weather there is no odor from the coop.

I do the same I have my poop deck about 1 foot under the perches and 2 feet off the floor, gives you extra room in the coop for the chickens to run around if the weather is bad outside and they don't want to go out.