Roost question.

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

Thanks. well, i dont have rats/mice yet...hoping my 2 yard pups living next door to my coop are taking kindly to the flock, and hopefully may deter some rodents, predators. But one of my mains concerns was about the "Flat" foot thing..I know chickens can and will grip limbs etc, but is it really the most comfy? Lol, laugh all you want, but they say a happy chicken lays more eggs...If it hold true, i might end up installing captains chairs...

LOL...I like the way you think! My husband just smiles and say "OK Honey" when I add something else to The Chicken Fortress he is building for our soon to arrive chicks. I too am very concerned with their comfort and safety...thus the Chicken Fortress He did go fabric shopping for the nesting box curtains last weekend! I've been wondering about the same thing you asked about the roosting bars. We plan to use 2x4's and route the square edges so that they are rounded. But...now that I read your thought on a flat board...I might do both...you know give them a choice...some of them might prefer one or the other.

 

[Shannon93]

I think flat footed sleeping chickens are the happiest chickens

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

X2 @Shannon93

 

[sunflour]

Great discussion! I am still in the planning stages of my coop, so this is helping a lot. I am thinking I will put both a tree limb and a 2x4 for my roosts and see what it preferred.

For those of you that use 2x4's do you paint/seal them with anything to help keep them clean?

Thanks!

I first used a treated wood and painted it with a deck sealer in a color to match the "decor"...had 3 get early bumble foot when they wore thru to the wood, all cleared up when I tossed those and now use only non-treated plain, unpainted 2x4's. just sand to remove rough areas - and slightly take the square off the edges.

Make sure you use roost supports that allow easily removal of the roosts and you can remove, clean, or replace whenever they get grungy.

 

[sunflour]

He did go fabric shopping for the nesting box curtains last weekend!

I made some easy, cheap ones ---- old pair of jeans or other cotton fabric. attach velcro above the nests and onto the top of the curtains....easy to put up and when poopy just toss and add new ones.

My gals did seem to need those when they were young, but after a couple of years I removed them to try to break a broody and no one ever noticed when I just left them off, LOL.

 

[jeria]

Great discussion! I am still in the planning stages of my coop, so this is helping a lot. I am thinking I will put both a tree limb and a 2x4 for my roosts and see what it preferred.

For those of you that use 2x4's do you paint/seal them with anything to help keep them clean?

Thanks!

That's what I'm thinking, giving them a choice.