How important is a roost in the coop?

[Nicole01]

My roosts are very wide. 10 inches on one wall, 12 inches on the other. My silly birds can not roost on anything smaller. They like to snuggle with each other! They all pile in the corner where the two roosts meet.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have various thicknesses of fallen tree limbs and 2x4 boards used as roosts. I have large, small, and bantie chickens(silkies,too) and every single one of 35 roosts. The banties roost on a gate about 30 inches high, but the others like it as high as they can get. I had to lower mine a bit since I have some large heavy girls and didn't want to injure their legs or feet, plus they are always knocking each other off for 20 minutes every night rearranging the positions. Mine had teensy roosts in their brooder at the beginning as 2 day olds.

 

[Kaeta44]

I didn't have perches for my chicks, but they all learned to use them when they moved into the main coop. As has been said previously, some chickens like to use them and others can't be bothered.

I'd put perches in the coop and let the chickens have the choice of using them or not.


http://muckycluckers.blogspot.com/

 

[pgpoultry]

I've always had perches in my pens, but the big Brahmas never roost, they are always in a heap on the floor. They are just too big and stately to flutter up.

All the rest of my birds use perches.

 

[Frost Homestead]

this is probably pretty uncommon, but I don't have roosts or nests for my birds. they could care less. we have creek sand in our coops and they just sleep in a chicken pile like they did when they were chicks. they dig out little nests in the sand and lay their eggs there. it doesn't get cold here or anything so there not really any reason for them to be up off the ground.

 

[Ole rooster]

When I've ever had chickens out all the time, the only hens I've ever had to stay on the ground are the White Rock. And that was because they were so big they couldn't get up on anything. The first night I had my pullets here and they didn't know where anything was, when time came to find their spot for the night, every one of them was walking around the run looking up with their necks streach like I've never seen. Three flew up the roof and the coop and fussed like crazy. I waited a bit and went up there and got, put those three in the coop and they haven't done it again. They gotta learn a new place and they do want to get off the ground, as high as they can go.

 

[guineaman13]

u need a roost pole so they can get away from predators when they sleep! & whenever they can fly on their own

 

[BCchick]

Quote:
Many of mine also slept huddled together on the floor when they were young like that. As they got older they have all eventually gotten up to the roosts. Now, at 21 weeks everyone sleeps on the roosting bars (except the ducks, of course).

 

[jr4racing56]

nice.