Perch covers - does that product exist?

[RGB RIP]

So I was scrubbing all the disgusting heat-baked poop off my roosting bars this morning. That got me to thinking, wouldn't it be awesome if there were some kind of rubber or silicone cover that just pops on and off a 2x4? Instead of washing and scrubbing the wood (and leaving it damp), you could just pop off the cover, wash and dry it, and pop it back on. It would be so much easier and so much more sanitary, and less likely to harbor mites. And it would be soft on their feet and easy to grip.

I doubt a product exists for that exact purpose. But I was wondering if anyone out there has found something they've been able to modify to work that way. Anyone?

 

[Shadrach]

So I was scrubbing all the disgusting heat-baked poop off my roosting bars this morning. That got me to thinking, wouldn't it be awesome if there were some kind of rubber or silicone cover that just pops on and off a 2x4? Instead of washing and scrubbing the wood (and leaving it damp), you could just pop off the cover, wash and dry it, and pop it back on. It would be so much easier and so much more sanitary, and less likely to harbor mites. And it would be soft on their feet and easy to grip.

I doubt a product exists for that exact purpose. But I was wondering if anyone out there has found something they've been able to modify to work that way. Anyone?

I haven't seen a product as such but I know that some keepers wrap fabric around the roosts bars.
@micstrachan

 

[mowin]

Why? After 4 yrs mine are relatively clean. Even if they were dirty, I would just change them out before I spent time cleaning them.

 

[NatJ]

Instead of washing and scrubbing the wood (and leaving it damp), you could just pop off the cover, wash and dry it, and pop it back on.

You could make a second perch.

Put the fresh one in, take the dirty one out to soak/scrub/dry, leave it sitting in the sun until you need to swap them again.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Considering I use branches for roosts, if one got that bad, I'd just go grab another branch rather than try to scrub it clean.

 

[micstrachan]

I haven't seen a product as such but I know that some keepers wrap fabric around the roosts bars.
@micstrachan

Yes, I use towels. I just run them through the washer and drier every few months.

 

[mowin]

Yes, I use towels. I just run them through the washer and drier every few months.

I really hope you have a different washer/drier then you use for your clothes, sheets, ECT.

 

[micstrachan]

I really hope you have a different washer/drier then you use for your clothes, sheets, ECT.

Nope. They mostly just get dusty and I shake them out first. If there is poop, I scrape it off and put a hose on them first. I only have nine chickens and about 25 feet of roost, so they don’t get that dirty.

 

[3KillerBs]

Why? After 4 yrs mine are relatively clean. Even if they were dirty, I would just change them out before I spent time cleaning them.

Same here.

I almost never see poop on the roost bar -- only if the chicks are playing up there.

The adults' tails hang down under the roost when they're sleeping so the poop is on the ground, not the roost. See the saggy bottoms hanging down?

 

[Wendy Bee]

We use the deep litter method in the coop and the run, and when raking through, if there is poop where I don't want it, I just scrape it off with the rake.

There are perches outside the nesting boxes, and if there is poop on those (usually from the perches above), the hens can track it into the boxes and soil eggs laid there. Again, If I see poop, I scrape it off, then use a scoop rake and sprinkle bedding (hemp in the coop) over the nesting box perches to cover any moist residue so it doesn't get tracked into the boxes.

Oh, I also regularly put a layer of litter on the run ramp. It dries out any poop already on the ramp and keeps new poop from sticking. I've found that the ramp stays MUCH cleaner, is not smelly, and keeps flies away!