Roosting Questions- Show me your roosts, please

[Fluffy&Cutie]

i am so confused. i thought the head hen/hens wanted the highest roost. In our coop we have 3 roosts. A training one for the bantam silkies which is so tiny. A lovely 6 inch high roost for silkies or leghorn X that is 3 feet long. And lastly, a foot high roost with a larger pole that is made with love for my beloved leghorn Xes. Do you know which one they ALL want. THE BASKET.

I put a basket in the coop because i read that some silkies don't roost. I didn't want them sitting in poop. so i put a small flat-ish basket. I can tell the pecking order is Leghorn 1, Leghorn 2, Silkie Blue, then silkie splash. In my logic the hen would roost on the taller roost. and the silkies would continue to use the basket. The leghorns are 10 months old and have always roosted. The silkies are 6 months old and prefer the basket. I recently integrated them. Why does the top hen want a basket?

Since the integration is new, the system is to put the silkies in the coop first. Wait until the leghorns are ready and then put them on the best roost. I wait a few moments until all is settled. These are obviously pets. I check on them once and if needed- I readjust them. I don't need to do that anymore. Since they can't have the basket (i am guarding it) it is the silliest thing to watch 2 huge leghorns try to fit on the tiny silkie training roost- ridiculous! Especially when there is 2 empty roosts 3 feet long each. These leghorns have always roosted. So weird.

Another question is do chickens prefer the corner of a coop? Literally the corner. That is where the silkie training roost was. I moved it and put the better roost there instead. Perhaps you could post some pics of what works for you in YOUR roosting situation.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Kessel23]

I am too tired to read through this RN so I am just going to show you my roosts like the title asks.

Inside the coop I just have 3 2x4s all on the same level.

In the run I have another 2x4 and some tree branches. Some chickens sleep in the run for most of the year. I also have some more 2x4s up near the roof about 7ft off the ground. Some birds sleep up there too even though they were not intended to be for roosting.

I pretty much have the same set up in my other coop. Inside I have several roosts on the same level. These ones are 2x2s though. I also have an old tree branch in the run but I do not let birds sleep out there.

 

[Mosey2003]

i am so confused. i thought the head hen/hens wanted the highest roost. In our coop we have 3 roosts. A training one for the bantam silkies which is so tiny. A lovely 6 inch high roost for silkies or leghorn X that is 3 feet long. And lastly, a foot high roost with a larger pole that is made with love for my beloved leghorn Xes. Do you know which one they ALL want. THE BASKET.

Show us pictures of what you've got and we can advise better.

 

[aart]

Pics of roosting, brave 6wo's to the right, click pic for more pics.
But no silkies so....<shrugs>

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

Pics of roosting, brave 6wo's to the right, click pic for more pics.
But no silkies so....<shrugs>

i will, but they basically look like your roost. except the poop board would be the floor of the coop. i can post pics later.

 

[apryl29]

My roost look pretty much like Aart's, but maybe a little higher above the board. I also use poop boards. I have an 8' long tree branch across the back above the board. I have some girls who roost on it, others that roost on the edge of the poop board, and a couple who sit on the board under other chickens (and get pooped on). My other roost is a 2x4 over a poop board, it's probably a bit high, but they can get on it. My bantam roo has taken to roosting on the lid of the plastic trash can I use for feed storage. My bantam hen likes to sleep on the edge of the wall. (pics below) In the last one I think I ended up cutting a couple inches off that roost. I tried adding a 2nd bar to the long wall for them to roost on, but they were too close together, or too close to the wall. You might consider how far apart your roosts are and how close they are to any walls. Maybe set a bird on the roost and see if their tail hits the wall behind them. That will keep them from wanting to use it.

 

[50-45-1]

Cedar poles, ladder type, removable For easy clean out.
My husband built this coop and roost area for me as i had a hard time cleaning out my old coop.

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

hi. heres a pic of my roosts. 1.The special one for the big girls. 2.The inclusive roost for all. 3&4.. The training roost and the basket. The only thing i can think of is that someone said their hens liked to be against the wall. That makes sense since the basket is against 2 walls. But...so is the brown roost. And no thoughts on the height and the top hen?

 

[aart]

I'd lose the basket, just cause it's hard to clean.
You have just integrated, that's gonna cause some 'upheaval'.
You have 3 diameters, that could be part of the 'choice' they make.
Does anyone use the log?
I'd just make sure you have extra roost 'length' available and let them work it out.
Keep in mind that every time you change a roost or it's position it will take time for them to adjust to the change...chickens don't like change.

I have birds that prefer to roost on the poop board, but it gets cleaned every day.
This winter there were a couple days I didn't get it cleaned, they chose the roost at that time.

 

[apryl29]

The roosts in the first to photos, are they attacked to the floor? If not, it could be that they are unstable and they choose not to use them.