Reoccurring Bumblefoot

[tlmancuso]

I am having an issue with reoccurring bumble foot in 2 of my hens. The vet recommended replacing their roosting bars with natural branches. They have been having problems since we changed their roost to 2x4’s.

What is common to use as a roost? Our old coop had a round wooden dowel and we had no issues with Bumblefoot. I’m not sure how we would attatch tree branches/sticks inside of the coop, but would like to change to something that doesn’t cause this issue.

Thanks for any input!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A flatter roost is better because chickens aren't really perching birds but they will roost in trees. One thing you can do with the 2X4s is to round off the top edges to make them smoother. The roost still needs to be wide enough in winter to allow the chickens to cover their toes with their feathers.
Is the majority of their intake a balanced poultry feed?
What is the protein percentage?