My chicks can not roost on a 4 inch roost...

[Nicole01]

I have the silliest chicks ever!!!! Their ages are 10-17 weeks old. All 8 of them can not sleep on a 2x4 with wide side up! They try and pile together(in their seperate groups) and fall off because 4 inches is not wide enough!

The roost is not high off the ground(about 2.5feet), so my frizzle Cochin can get up and down no problem. Since it wasn't working out, they all insisted in sleeping in the nest boxes.

I had dh cut another 6x2 piece of wood and I put the flat side down. Now my chicks have a 10 inch roosting space! It worked! To my surprise, they are pooping at the back end where there is about a 3-4 inch gap from the roost to the wall. I thought roosting was a natural instinct for chickens. Not mine, they'd rather snuggle up together.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My LF Cochin rufused to use a 2x4. I set it about 3 ft off the ground. Nope, they slept under it in a pile on the ground

I have a 6x8 board that runs down the wall of my coop that's about 5.5 ft up that a couple managed to get to after they got tired of sleeping in a feather pile. So I added another roost between the floor and board so the rest could get their big fluffy butts up there. Now everyone is off the floor, except the goat- but he's another issue altogether

 

[debid]

Mine like to hold on with their toes. They'll roost under their coop on a 2x4 narrow side up and they'll use the branch in their coop that's wider but has rough bark texture to grasp. They do NOT like wide, smooth surfaces for roosting. I know some folks on here swear by wide, flat boards for roosts and maybe adult birds like that but my youngsters definitely do not.

 

[Nicole01]

We tried the 2 inch first and they didn't like it. We flipped it to the 4 inch side thinking it would work, but they insist sleeping on top one another.