Roost design

[Grandpa Goof]

So what is your idea on the diameter of your roost pole?

 

[black_cat]

From what I've read, chickens prefer to roost flat footed, so putting a 2x4 with the wide side up is a good option. This allows them to settle down and cover their feets with feathers in the winter.

 

[Rldad1]

Mine is 2 X 3, wide side up.

 

[Spot1984]

Rip 2x4 to 1 3/4 width an sand down edges. Place roosts at same height.

 

[RRM]

For the roosts in our coop we ripped 2x4’s to 3” wide, chamfered the edges, sanded any rough spots with a belt sander, and installed three of them with the 3” side up. Our chickens seem to like them, but they haven’t had anything else to roost on besides those boards.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I use a 2x4 for my roost. But the wider side is the side the chickens roost on so that they can sit on their own feed in the winter to prevent frostbite.

 

[Folly's place]

There's nothing magical about using dimensional lumber for roosts! Chickens are designed to roost in trees, actually, and do very well on branches or saplings, 2" to 4" diameter, bark on.
Don't use metal or plastic, or very smooth dowels.
In winter the birds cover their feet on those saplings too.
Here we have multiple choices for our 40+ overwintering chickens, who range from bantams to big birds. Their roosts range from 2" to 3" diameter saplings, to 4" diameter fence posts in the old coop as rafters. There's also an old split rail, with smooth edges, and a few birds like the 2"x 6" rafters in the newer coop section, 9' up.
It's about their social status more than anything else.
If all you have is lumber, that's okay too, but it's certainly not necessary to use it.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Everybody has their own opinion on this topic, just like everyone has their opinion on what breed is best or what feed is best. My opinion is that people worry about this a lot more than people do. I'll include a link to a study that was carried out. The results may be interesting to you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-perch-experiment.74272/

I notice you are in Idaho. Thanks for including that information. You probably see some pretty cold weather. I'll include a link to an article by someone that keeps chickens in weather colder than you will probably see. It's been a while since I read Alaskan's article but I believe it talks about roosts in truly cold weather, below -20* F.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

 

[woodworm]

I'm only building my coop so I might change this idea .... but 4 x 2 wide side up seems to be the most popular idea which is what I'm starting with. I do think that is for cold areas where chickens can cover their toes. Maybe in a warmer area a 3 x 2 wide side up would be enough.

I'm in a moderate climate and went with the 4 x 2 but happy to change this when I actually get chucks if it's not right.

 

[imnukensc]

Because chickens can't cover their toes on anything besides a 2X4 wide side up.