I have noticed alot of square roost post...( that's what some pictures look like anyway) I honestly wouldn't have thought that they would be used. Tell me your thought on square vs round post. What do you use? Jen
A 2x4 laid flat. The chickens sit on their feet to keep them warm. They don't "perch" like other birds.
From what I've seen, whatever you happen to have handy works best. However, the most popular with my chickens seems to be the roosts made from old 2x4s.
It just looks like the square edges would hurt their feet We are using round sturdy branches as a roost in mine. about 2-2.5 inches in diameter. It works. thanks
Then sand them down or angle cut them with a skill saw, but honestly it doesn't hurt their feet because they sit flat on them. A lot more comfortable than frost bright on the toes! That's the purpose of the 2x4's in cold climates. They can cover all their toes on a flat roost by sitting on them.
We use 2 x4's with the narrow side up on most of ours. I'm the odd one here. Everybody else turns them the other way. Good thing my chickens can't read or boy would they be upset.
OH, I understand the flat side up now. It just looked like most roost that I had seen were 2x2 square. It just didn't look very comfortable for them. Oh well, I love knowing the reasoning behind everything anyway. Thanks
Chickens can't grip things with their toes the way parrots and other perching birds can. Their feet are more suited to walking on the ground. I use several different types of roosts: the flat board ones, but I do plane down the edges and sand them smooth, and natural tree branches, but I pick ones that are wider than the width of our chickens' feet.