Roosting Bar Question

[Gibguy]

Roosting Bar Question

We now have had (3) at our household for just a little over a year.

In the morning we open the chicken tractor & allow them to free roam in our backyard. In the evening they return & they are penned up.

All is well, as they appear to be natural composting machines complimenting our yard & the arrangement that we have for composting.

ROOSTING BAR

The Roosting bar that I have is made of ¾ inch PVC Rod with 3/8 concrete reinforcing rod slid through. I have it all wrapped with duct tape. The Question has come up that either the bar is not big enough in diameter for the claws of the chickens or the rod may flex a little too much. But the chickens eventually end up Roosting for the evening.

QUESTION: How much flex in the Roosting Bar?…Typical Diameter?…When answering please include materials of construction as well.

Photo of Roosting Bar:

That’s it for now.

Gibguy

 

[henless]

Maybe they need a either a bigger diameter rod, one made of wood or a different type of roost? Even though you have the pvc taped, they may not feel secure on it due to slippage. Try getting a larger diameter wooden roost and see how they like it. Or even a tree branch.

I use 2x4's, flat side up for my roost. Gives them a larger surface to roost on. Some people use tree branches, wooden dowels or lumber. It just seems like they may not like your current roosting bar.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If they roost, they roost, so what you are doing is obviously working. It sounds like your concern is not from what you are seeing with your chickens but from what other people are telling you.

Where you are located you are not worried about them having to have something flat to roost on to keep their feet warm. From what I’ve seen I think that is way overblown anyway. When their feathers fluff up to keep them warm, their feet disappear in their feathers, even on my tree branches.

Some typical problems with PVC are that it is too slick for them and it can flex a lot. With your duct tape and rebar you’ve worked on those problems. I’m not sure how that duct tape will hold up in the long run but maybe it will be OK. That diameter is less than I would have used but if they are using it, they are using it. I’ve seen them perch on things smaller during the day but never sleep on something that small at night. But obviously they can grip it and sleep OK.

You are going to see some nights below freezing, though not ridiculously low, probably not normally into single digits Fahrenheit. My main concern with that roost is that I don’t know how good a conductor that is with the duct tape on it. Even though your temperatures are not all that low I’d have some concerns they could get frostbite on their feet due to that PVC wicking away heat. That’s the main reason wood is so great for a roost. Wood is a good insulator, not a conductor, so with wood their feet stay warmer.

I’d expect they went through this last winter and did not have any frostbite problems so maybe I’m just worrying too much, but I’d just feel better if that roost were made out of wood. And if you replace it go with something a bit bigger, partly for flex but also to give them something bigger to grip. It won’t hurt though yours are showing it is not necessarily required. Whether that is a tree branch, a 2x4 narrow side up or flat side up doesn’t matter. They will use about anything as you have shown.