Roosing pole issues

[slightlyscrambled]

OKAY so I had two 2x4's eight ft. long about 6foot high, everybody roosted on them except Rodney rooster and two OEG hens. I had the 2" side up, as it is getting colder and I was starting to winterize my coop I turned the 2x4's to the 4" side, now no one uses them.
They are on partition walls and the ladder to the nest box and Rodney is in a nest box. I think it depends on your own chickens, but evidently mine preferred the 2" side of the board.

go figure!

 

[2DogsFarm]

Part of my Winter Plan is to add some 2X4s for them to roost on - if they choose.

Short of me physically moving them from their fave roost then spending the night in the coop, I guess they get to pick where they will roost.

FWIW - their little feet are toasty warm in the morning (I have a couple who wait for me to lift them from roost to ground - spoiled much?) and nights have been getting down to the low 50s here.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
You changed things. Chickens don't like change.
I added fans to my coop for the summer and they freaked out on them, despite the fact that they had fans last summer.

With winter coming on it's important to remember that if they are roosting on 2 x 4s, they can release their feet, rest their weight on their keel bones and then settle down and completely cover their feet.
If they are roosting on poles, they can't cover their "toes" completely, so they will be more prone to frostbite.