Official BYC Poll: What Kind of Roost(s) Do You Have Installed?

[Kakaruk]

Man, those big tree branches look so comfy for the girls!

 

[Abriana]

I use a 2x4 with the edge up, but I'm thinking I should change it to wide side up. Never had any issues with frostbitten feet though, and I've observed that they can cover their feet with feathers but it would probably be better if I switched it. My roost situation is a low roost, and then one foot across and one foot up is another roost--the preferred spot naturally. All my birds can fit on the top one now (it can fit about fifteen I'd say, and I have ten right now), but when I've had more the younger ones and lower pecking order birds get the boot to the bottom roost. I'd say they're each about six or seven feet long. This has worked great for me!

 

[Quailobsessed]

I have a couple of saw horses with a few planks of wood across them. We added a ladder a for our aging chickens too.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I now use branches and the flock seems happy with them. We measured and most at around 3-4” in diameter. None less than 2.5”. The roosts were sanded down before the flock moved in.

My old coop used 2x4s, skinny side up, wrapped with a pool noodle after a vet suggested my roost bars were the cause of some Bumblefoot. Someone once posted a well-written study on BYC which assessed the roosting posture of chickens using various roosts and determined that a 2x4 with sanded edges, skinny side up, allowed the birds to roost with the most natural posture, and wrapping them with bicycle tubing aided in their ability to grip. This was my initial plan for my new coop build, but my partner installed the branches (after I said I wanted 2x4s) when I wasn't home and honestly, they seem to work just fine.

I included screenshots of the post to which I was referring, but I didn’t screenshot the title.

 

[VeryHappyHens]

Lots of humans overlook the importance of roosts (aka perches), but chickens don't. The natural way for a chicken to sleep is by sitting on a roost. Nope, they don't like beds or the ground. Only hens with chicks, injured chickens, and sometimes silkies (if they can't reach the roost) will sleep on the ground. In the wild, a flock of chickens tries to get as high off the ground as they can at night, most often in the branches of a tree. They do this to help them stay safe from land predators. Moral: please provide your chickens roosts to sleep on!

What kind of roost(s) do you have installed?

Multiple answers are possible and please tell us if you did anything to prevent foot or mite problems /show us your roost with a picture down in the comments section.

View attachment 2544576

Here are some interesting reads:

• The perch experiment
• Perch for roost, shape/size experimental findings

If you are wondering what roost shapes other keepers of chickens use, check out this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...osts-do-you-use-in-your-chicken-coop.1403365/

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

My roost is my old counter that is high. I even have weird looking roost a small counter than a high counter as a roost. I even use a chair as an extra roost because I have many chickens. There is also the nesting box side they use. They even use the nesting box roost and the the other metal cardboard the roost on inculding random cinder block...

 

[fatsGREENgarden]

We built this removable roost for our coop with 2x4s. It’s been working great. A few smaller birds sit on the sides and seem perfect for them until they move up on the roost.
The outside run has branches from our tree trimmings.

 

[MamaLynn23]

We’ve got plenty of room with several 2x4s and most of our flock uses them, including our two turkeys (hen uses highest one, tom uses lowest one, accessed by hopping the ramp on the nest boxes, then hopping over onto the roost). However there are at least 5 ladies who tend to sleep on top of the nest boxes, even though they know better. I have seriously stood there and watched/helped everyone get onto the roost in the the evening, cleaned of the poop from the top of nest boxes, then come morning when I let them out to forage there is poop all over the top of the nest boxes again. Proof, in my opinion, that my stubborn flock scoots over after I leave and settles down where they aren’t supposed to! It is very frustrating. I know there is plenty of room on the roosts!

 

[BecaHawaii]

We have two - 2x2 boards. One up high for sleeping and one lower with the ladder. The lower one is in an area with open sides so they can perch and watch the world go by. They can however reach the higher one from the lower one. We don't have cold weather so their sleeping perch is enclosed from three sides.

 

[Chipper Chicken]

I use 2x2’s wrapped tightly with bicycle inner tubes.

I found this study and the accompanying link about this years ago and designed it into my system from the start. I just didn’t need it until now, so it’s only been up since Monday. It also took me several years of occasional searching and enquiring of shopkeepers to acquire enough inner tubes. It takes about 4 tubes to do one ~36” long roost, and I was making a minimum of 6. Fortunately the local Bike Gallery store recently gave me a big box full of tubes the last time I asked, so I finally had enough. I used fender washers and screws to hold them tightly in place. All hardware is on the underside.

The roosts are directly above the PDZ covered poop boards. I just pop the roosts out of the slots to clean/sift out the dried poop chunks.

I have a little more fine tuning and painting to do, but the ladies took to them right away. The only snag was I don’t have their ramps built yet so I set up a temporary ladder for a couple days.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21406354/

https://www.yourchickens.co.uk/care-and-advice/the-perfect-perch-1-

I am happy to see a few other people have looked into this as well.....

@HowardE also went into very good and detailed discussion about it here:https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/proper-design-of-roost-bars.1197058/

And @casportpony found and linked the study recently as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/interesting-study-of-perches.1445721/

I use branches in the henyard.

 

[Carson213]

i use 2x4‘s, 2x6‘s, moose antlers, caribou antlers, elk antlers, and old wooden ladders