perch ...round, square, big, small?

[ErnieBerley]

Howdy...
I'm sure everyone is getting ready for cold weather. This is a basic question for discussion - do chickens prefer small or larger boards to roost on ? And do they prefer round or square? just curious peace!!!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I've always read the flat (square) is better so they can sit on their feet and keep warm, but many say their birds prefer round (i.e. branches). My roost is a 2x4 with the 4in side up.

 

[DobieLover]

Oh... the great "perch shape" debate.
Something with texture so they have a bit of grip about 2-3" slightly rounded, no sharp edges or easily splintered.
Rounded off 2x4's (I ripped mine in half) or sturdy branches with the bark on. Don't use plastic or metal.

 

[black_cat]

Most popular are 2x4s with the 4 inch side up. If you sand the edges of it, so that it's a bit rounder, I think that that would be appreciated.

 

[Mrs. K]

Let your chickens decide - I have all different sizes. I use old cedar fence posts, knobby, and not perfectly straight, some are smoother than others, some are flatter than others. Different birds roost different places, and get this, after a while, they change places.

Mrs K

 

[WhySayWhat]

I have 2x6's turned 2" side for them to stand on (scrap wood, left overs because they were "cut funny" or have a slight warp to them...it was all repurposed wood), I had wider side boards for them over the summer, but found they pooped on them and then were sleeping in poop. The gals do really well at keeping their feet warm and snuggle together on colder nights.

 

[Sally PB]

When I started chickening, I read that 2x4s were the way to go, and that they should be 2" side up. That was to prevent them from rubbing their keel bone and getting a raw, oozy sore there. So that's what I did. They cover their feet with their feathers, so their feet stay plenty warm.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is a topic where you will hardly see two chicken keepers agree on an answer.

My perches are:

Natural branches/saplings at least as thick as my wrist (because "weed" trees are free and need to be cut anyway while 2x4's cost money) and chunks of those thick, square pieces of wood with a groove in one side that are used on pallets of construction materials to protect the materials from the strapping (because the crew that installed our manufactured home was happy to not have to haul away stuff and let us take any leftovers we thought might be useful).

They also perch on that pallet.