Roost size, shape, style?

[Beccazon]

Been looking through designs and ideas here and online. I assumed I would use a round 1-1 1/2" wooden dowel for roosting. I see a lot of simple 2x4 roosts. Some have just left the top side of a wall board accessible. Others have a shelf. Before I get dowels, I would like opinions. Do your chickens prefer round? Square? Flat shelf? What is a good roost width? 1 1/2 inches seems to be about right?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I use 2x4's wide side flat.. chickens actually rest on their keel bone.

I think it gives them more stability than a dowel.

Good luck!

 

[IamRainey]

Yup! For roosting all night a wide 2x4 is the way to go.

Out in the run for shorter recreational roosting I like hefty driftwood. Natural branches are nice too. Not necessarily for the chickens but for the aesthetics. The chickens seem to enjoy climbing the irregular contours and elevations.

 

[Henry&Friends]

Don’t know where I read this, but apparently chickens actually sleep with their feet flat mine like their rectangular perch.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Don’t know where I read this, but apparently chickens actually sleep with their feet flat mine like their rectangular perch.

Yep, right on either side of their keel bone.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you look closely you can probably tell how I feel about chickens sleeping with their feet flat.

There has been a lot of debate on here about what type of roost the chickens prefer. People can have some strong opinions on that. I did some informal testing several years back, using these tree limbs, 2x4's flat, and 2x4's on edge. My conclusions were that people care about this much more than the chickens do.

Another member of the forum did a much more formal test using several different materials and shapes. His conclusion was that they pay more attention to location in the coop than roost shape, but they tend to avoid really small roosts. The 1-1/2" thickness of a 2x4 was plenty thick enough.

In my opinion you can use various thickness tree limbs, 1-1/2" diameter dowels would probably be thick enough but I would not go any smaller, you can use a 2x4 flat or on edge. I suggest if you use a sawed board you sandpaper the edges to round them off some. That's not so much to make it more comfortable for the chickens to grip but to get rid of splinters.

 

[aart]

My conclusions were that people care about this much more than the chickens do.

Ditto Dat!!^^^

Another member of the forum did a much more formal test using several different materials and shapes. His conclusion was that they pay more attention to location in the coop than roost shape, but they tend to avoid really small roosts. The 1-1/2" thickness of a 2x4 was plenty thick enough.

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

 

[blackdog043]

Chickens will roost at the highest place they can find, no matter what the size is, as long as they can stay on it. That being said, I have 2 x 4 wide for the main roost and the front of my poop board is 1.5 inches wide. They roost on both boards at night. Also some just lay on the poop board itself.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Also some just lay on the poop board itself.

!!!

 

[aart]

Chickens will roost at the highest place they can find, no matter what the size is, as long as they can stay on it. That being said, I have 2 x 4 wide for the main roost and the front of my poop board is 1.5 inches wide. They roost on both boards at night. Also some just lay on the poop board itself.

Same here.

!!!

If you clean boards daily it's not an issue.
I found when I couldn't clean a couple days this winter they didn't sleep on the board.