Roosts? 2x4s, 2x3s or Branches?

[scooter147]

Mine are three feet off the ground and mine are level. It does stop the posturing for position on the top rung. I have heavy and light weight breeds and they all can get up on it with a squat, jump and a few flaps of the wings. A ladder can always be made or a good size tree stump or other type of helper if need be.
You can go to all 2x4's if you want but give it a try with the tree branches. The more level they are the better.

 

[KrystalRose]

When I lay their roosting bars down level, how far apart should the bars be?

 

[sdm111]

I wondered the same thing so I put 2x4 laying flat and branches same height each night till I took the boards out they were all roosted on the natural branches

 

[topdog24]

Right now I have 22 large breed chickens that are all 13 weeks old, I have a large roosting ladder I made out of branches, but every night they all fight over who can fit at the very top which is a 2x4 and a metal fence rail that I use as my hinge to be able to lift up the roosts to clean under. I am thinking of changing out the branches that they don't seem to like for 2x4s. Any opinions? I have seen people suggesting both but my birds seem to like the 2x4 at the top. I know they naturally want to be as high as they can so that might be part of it, and I also have pretty uncoordinated boys in the group that have trouble on the branches. Here is a picture of what I have, the roost is about 5' high at the highest point and 7' wide. (the chicks were only 6 weeks old in the picture)

 

[BDutch]

Last year I had dutch bantam chicks in my small ready made chicken coop. They slept in a laying nest and did not roost on the delivered roosts untill the hens start laying. The roost was only 3" from the floor. The roost are only about 1×2" and have no sharp edges.

This year I had chicks from natural breed and I build an extension tothe coop with one more roost like the old one ( only higher up 20" ) and one branch where they could sleep on.The young pullets and hens imediately preferred the branch (cherry wood, 1 1/2 ") . To please my pullets and hens I made more branches in my coop.

For me it it clear that my bantams prefer natural, and roost earlyer on a good branche that is not too close to the bottom.