Roosts???

[sarahz]

Right now, we have made a roost out of a garden trellis--the rods are not circular but square and about 1 in in 'diameter'---is this ok? Or do we need to construct something out of 2x4s? Our chicks are 5 wks old so we have a little time but they are starting to enjoy the roost a bit...
If we need to construct something new, what should it be? Any pics, please? Help!!!

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

All I did was prune some of our trees and used them as perches in their pen. Our 4-week-old chicks have been using a perch for over a week now outside in their pen I had cut a smaller branch, which was dried; they love jumping up and down from it.

 

[allen wranch]

Just make sure whatever you use is smooth and free from any splinters or sharp points (can cause bumblefoot, a staph infection).

Type of roosts depends on your preference. I prefer 2x4's with the flat side up so the birds can hunker down over their toes in the winters. Others use smaller boards, round dowels or tree branches. I wish I could find the source, but I have read that chickens don't curl their toes around roosts and perch like other birds, so anything round is usually a matter of balance.

 

[Firefly]

In the hen house we used 2x2s with rounded edges, in the the run I made some out of branches. It's working well so far!

 

[lively Bee's]

popular saplings about 2 1/2 " at 3' 4' 6' and 7' and were do they roost in the rafters at 8'

o well they showed me

 

[therealshari]

We're using some nominal 1 x 3's attached to the wall with 2'x4 framing. The lowest level is at 18 inches and the next is at about 36 inches.

Already I've seen at least 6 different chicks make it from the floor to the bottom roost (some with the help of a step block) at 16 days of age.

They'll also be able to hop from the roost to the nest boxes, once we've got them finished.

This is a work in progress... our chicks are getting used to construction noise. As soon as we remember to buy the screen, we'll install the screen door.

Pics are in our blog.