Perch width, what’s the science?

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Note edit above. The American Games are a stronger with respect to size. The bantams look similar but behavior and physical abilities are way different. The bantams are almost like little robots that do not learn have have strong physical abilities that are relevant to roosting comparisons.

Gotcha, that makes more sense. And I can see that with bantams, as they do seem more decorative than functional in most ways.

 

[centrarchid]

To make this real, standard-sized birds needed. I even suggest controlling for age within a breed. I can do that with what I have.

 

[Shadrach]

Of course, a lot will depend on the shape of the perch..
A six inch plank...you'll be able to push them off the front; a one inch branch would be better test.

There you go, back on topic....sort of...

 

[centrarchid]

I would also consider how much time it takes for birds to settle each evening. When they are not happy they take longer.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I think the thing about the tendons is pretty accurate all around. It's a lot like LG said several pages back...
When your hand is in a relaxed position your fingers curl naturally. When you bend your wrist back but keep your fingers relaxed your fingers curl in more. Of course it would be silly to assume that you can't then move your fingers to stretch them out, but the tendons are still effecting your natural, relaxed body position and stretching your fingers back is easier when your tendon is relaxed. In our hands it's an extremely weak effect and in songbirds it's really intense. In chickens I would hazard that it's inbetween.

From my own experiences in chickens you can watch their tendons work this way when you butcher them. I first gave it serious thought and fooled around with this some while processing CXs a while back BECAUSE a lot of people claimed to me that their tendons don't work that way at all so use flat perches because they're flat footed birds etc. etc. But I thought that it had to exist because I watched toes move while I was cutting into leg joints. So I fiddled with it. It's especially obvious on CX who have HUGE chunky tendons in their chunky legs. You can actually see the tendon poking out the top of the leg joint after cutting them off. Giving the tendon a little tug a certain way will make the toes in the foot curl and bend. You can reach and feel how strong the tendon-only grip is this way and it's moderate. It's very clear that it happens and it would lend a notable increase in strength to the grip, but if you are holding the tendon you can also just uncurl a toe with your hand. This leads me to believe that the toes get some added strength from being able to curl around roosts.

But it's really hard to find real citations on perch sizes. Currently I have some chickens roosting on some 1" bars and they seem happy, previously (and in the future) I had them on 2" ish branches of varying shape. But I think rounded roosts are best. Having said that that's just my opinion based on the above observations.

 

[Geena]

I would also consider how much time it takes for birds to settle each evening. When they are not happy they take longer.

If you are testing grip strength as well, another factor is going to be psychological resistance to being removed from the perches. Your Dominiques are bigger and probably have greater muscle mass, but your games are more true to form and I would assume more tenacious. My birds are rather docile and seldom put up much of a fight when being taken off their roosts at night.

 

[centrarchid]

Following not quality, but can be something to discuss. I released 91 chickens where all but 20 are juveniles. About 30 chose to roost in locations other than source pens. That rate of change much higher than usual. Only 5 of those roosted in locations that likely allowed birds to select a particular roosting site based on nature of material. All five roosted in Bradford Pears. Gamecock roosted on a 3/4" diameter branch about 6' above ground before it sagged under his weight. He was about 7' from trunk of tree. The juveniles roosted about 12' up roughly 5' from trunk. Two of those where on 1/2" branches and two where on 1/4" branches.

Older juveniles are starting to disperse from natal groups which was evident all day. A couple pullets switched groups while cockerels where moving about more alone. On pullet is working on shacking up with a gamecock housed in barn but she can not actually get in with him.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

At one time I had 100s of young and old game chickens running as free as the breeze. These birds roosted where they pleased (up to a point) and they had the roof structure & stall walls, of a large cow barn, and several stand alone hen houses to sleep in. Most however chose to roost in trees. They chose branches anywhere from the size of a #2 pencil all the way up to an 8" thick oak limb. The ones that roosted on the smallest twigs did about as well as the ones that slept on 2X4s in the hen house/shelters. When roosting on twigs a chickens' toes are tightly clutched and pulled up into the soft under down.

Cold air is dry air and dry air soaks up moisture quickly. Soaking up moisture is also known as evaporation and this natural process cools things rapidly. In my opinion a chicken who goes to bed with muddy or wet feet and who has a cold wind blowing over their feet while roosting are the chickens who are most in danger of having their toes and/or feet frozen off.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I use the metric equivalent of 2x2. I've used this because of what I've read. I'm wondering now if what I've read has any science behind it, or is it just one of those recommendations that has become so common that it is accepted as the right way to make perches?
Looking at a chickens foot and how they perch in trees my feeling is that a round perch, or even oval, might be better for the chickens foot. As you write, with wide boards they tend to curl their toes over the front edge and that fits in with my observations.

I highly doubt that there is any "SCIENCE" behind these recommendations. However there is some "LOGIC" The problem is that "LOGIC" in the absence of SCIENCE can and has been used to prove that the Earth is FLAT .

I have a confession to make.
I use 2X4s wide side up because IMHO that gives the best coverage for my chickens' tootsies. I have also been known to rip the two top corners off these 2X4s on a table saw to make a more rounded perch. This is mostly for pens where only one rooster and a hen or two at most are housed. About a 4 foot span.

 

[centrarchid]

George you complicated things more than I did.