How fancy is too fancy? Upholstered Roosts.

[ARose4Heaven]

I needed a new set of roosts...for the 100 new babies that are coming. SOOOOooooo, I searched the scrap pile. Found some stair rails...OK...great. But not enough of them for all those birds when they get grown. More searching... Found PVC pipe. But it's slippery and too small diameter. Solution... Hot glue 3 together to form a triangular roost...wrap it in denim scraps for warmth and grabability. Voila...my hens will have upholstered roosts! I can just take em out and power wash em. Sweet!

 

[LarryPQ]

My problem with the pvc pipe was the birds would slip off and hurt themselves. So I wrapped them in heavy-duty medical tape.

I am anti-washing-machine-washing anything with tons of poop on it. BUUUT- what you did could easily be reoved for hose-washing!

Great job!

 

[patandchickens]

Wow, that's going to get filthy real fast. Cute, but I look forward to hearing reports on how it actually *works*

Wouldn't a dead tree branch be easier?

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[danischi24]

That's great! Just make sure that the thread on there is tight tight tight because if someone hooked a toe in there & fell off....

 

[elmo]

I'd be concerned that the fabric creates a great environment for bacteria to grow (not to mention places for mites to hide). I know chickens wipe their beaks on the roost, too. Power washing might actually make the situation worse because bacteria grow better in moist environments. Just be sure to let the upholstered roosts dry really well out in the sun until they're completely and utterly dry before returning them to the coop.

Seems to me like this would be more trouble than it's worth. When my tree branch roosts get yucky, I just toss them and go cut some more. When my board roosts get yucky, I just wipe them down with Poop Off and use a little sandpaper to get the really tough caked on stuff.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

The denim roosts may turn out to be temporary, but I was desperate for roosts for the new birds coming in, so made do with what I had. If the cloth proves to be a problem, I will most likely get me another stair rail to cut up. DH has my budget on lock-down for now, after the cost of buying all the new chicks. So I have to be creative for a while. I did spray them heavily with that water proofing stuff DH uses on his boots. I am hoping that will make them last a bit longer until I can replace them.

 

[FiveHens]

Guess I read that wrong...I thought the title of your post was "Upholstered Roos"

 

[calista]

While I admire your creativity, I also would be leery of unforeseen problems this approach could cause, as chickens are curious and will peck at and potentially ingest anything they can tear away from the "upholstery." You can't watch over them 24/7.

My roosts, too, have always been sturdy branches that are tossed when they get too dirty with caked-on poop, or boards that can be scraped down without worry.

 

[Royd]

Quote:
Doesn't a chicken balancing on a slick pole help to strengthen its core muscles? Kind of like a human balancing on an exercise ball.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Yeah, but would you like to have to sleep all night on an exercise ball?