perches for 2 wk old chicks? pros/cons?

[TN Henny Penny]

Our 2 wk old Red Stars are really active and fluttery (if there is such a word). They are vying for turns to perch on top of the waterers and feeders. I've read information that seems to conflict on young birds. Some say give them a perch; some say that a perch when they are young would damage their feet? I'm so confused. I'd love to give them something up higher since they seem to desire that, but I definitely don't want to deform their young feet. Suggestions on a perch that would be o.k. for them (what size and material)? Thanks for reading my post!

 

[pontoosuc]

how about something higher that is flat? don't know how big your brooder is but I used to use large wooden blocks that were maybe 8"x8".
I've also put in some wine boxes that are a little higher. Just as long as they can't get out.
Great fun to watch isn't it?

 

[ARose4Heaven]

A perch is fine, but keep in mind that it needs to be at least as wide as their feet. Chickens do not wrap their feet around the perch like songbirds. I try not to put the roost more that 3x their height.

 

[wsdareme]

I made "mini perches" for my brooder babies and they loved them! They were wide enough for them to sit on it, and one a little shorter than the other. I don't know why people think chickens like to roost on skinny little twigs. They're not sparrows! Here's a pic of my perches:

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I think I read somewhere that you don't want them to deform their breastbone by roosting too early. But if the roost is wide enough, like a 2 x 4, then it wouldn't be any different than the floor, IMO.

They like to perch a little off the shavings for fun and excitement!

Here's one thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=882360
see post #2

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I put bricks in for my babies. Got them up in the air a couple of inches which seemed to satisfy their young urge to roost. They LOVED them and could stretch right out on them since they don't really seem to "roost" like the older birds. (The bricks get pretty dirty though!)

 

[wsdareme]

I don't think mine ever really perched. They would just jump up and down. We'd sit and watch and see how many could get on a single perch before somebody got knocked off. Great fun!

 

[FiveHens]

We never had a problem with our chicks using their perches. We cut ~3" wide tree boughs and put them in the brooder, moving them up as the chicks were able to jump higher and higher. They always slept on them, and the chicks were no worse for the wear. However, I would think you'd want to resolve this issue soon, because chicks sitting on top of waterers and feeders sounds like one scummy mess!

 

[Gypsy07]

When my first chicks got to a week old, I gave them the choice of a flat perch or a round perch. They all chose the round one. It was wooden dowel, less than 1" diameter. When they got a bit bigger they stopped using it. No foot problems at all. My next two lots of chicks didn't perch at all and just slept in the wood shavings on the floor. The chicks I've got now seem to want to perch, so I'll give them a choice of things to hop up onto.

 

[TN Henny Penny]

Thanks everyone! We stacked a few 2 x 4's in the brooder and they are enjoying them very much. For some reason, one is more popular than the other. I thought they were going to sleep overnight on it (about 11 of them fit), but when I looked this a.m., only 3 were on the perch. It's really more of a platform

Their activity level seems to have increased with the new item in the brooder and that seems to be good for them! I'll post a photo later.