roost desing

[bugkiller]

Ok. I am very new to this so sorry for frequent stupid questions. I have decided on a coop desing and i think i am making nests from buckets. Not decided on a feeder yet but like lots of them i have found here. what i cant figure out is a roosting area. is it better to have a shelf or a dowl for them to sit on. How high up should it be. The coop will be about 4'x4' and 36" high. i am only planning on 2 or 3 birds max. Any help or pics woud be great help.

Thanks

 

[fiddlebanshee]

What I read most frequently is a 2x4 either wide side up or narrow side up. Opinions are divided on that one. Many people also have tree branches with a 2 to 4 inch diameter.

I am also now in the process of finishing the interior in the coop and have decided that I will use 2x4s flat side up but I have also realized that this is by no means the only way to do it.

 

[happyhensny]

We use 2 x 3's flat for roosts. Works well in our very cold climate.

 

[Judy]

I use 2x4s flat. Chickens don't really wrap their feet around a perch the way many birds do; their toes curl around to some extent but not as much. The flat roost allows them to keep their toes warm if it gets well below freezing where you are. If you have any really large breeds, they may want something wider, or even a shelf. If you will have silkies they may not even roost. For RIR or EE or others in that size range I'd either use a 2X4 or a thick branch.

 

[RichardB-SETN]

I was wondering if I could use a wooden closet-rod for a roost? It is 1 1/4" in diameter, and I can get it in lengths that will stretch from one end of my coop to the other. Our chicks are Red Stars, a heavy breed, but I have no idea how big their feet will be when they're full grown. I can find 2" dowels, but only in 4' sections, and they are rather expensive. Is there any advantage in having a round roost? We can get some chilly temperatures here, but I don't know if flat 2x4 roosts are needed for the cold. Thanks!

 

[CupOJoe42]

I think flat would be better (for all reasons previously stated), but if I were going with round, I would just look for some nice thick tree branches. There have been lots of posts on here about roosts.