Something to practice roosting on

[jmeeter88]

OK, so currently my chicks are in a plastic laundry sort of tub (solid walls). I read that around three weeks old a perch should be provided so they can practice roosting. Well, I can't exactly screw a dowel into plastic, so is there something I can safely substitute?

 

[redoak]

Put the dowel between a couple short pieces of 2x4. Either screw the dowel into the 2x4's or tenon them in.

 

[willheveland]

It's not a great picture ,but will give you an idea what I do for my birds.(not meat birds though) Hope this helps. Will

 

[jmeeter88]

Oh, that is a great idea willheveland. We are gutting our bathroom so there will be plenty of loose wood... I will inspect each piece carefully for nails, etc.

 

[ChooksChick]

We used a small dowel and put it between the holes on the basket up a way, then taped it so it wouldn't roll. Ours started perching at 2 weeks, and as they hopped up to it, we moved them to the tub and taped two rods across the top. It worked great until 6 weeks, when we had the coop-tractor done.

 

[ravenfeathers]

i used a perch leftover from when i had a caged bird. it's a natural branch with a bolt end and a wingnut, which would be really easy to manufacture yourself. it's got different levels and thicknesses and the chicks love it.

 

[LynneP]

From the time they were 3 days old I used scrap pieces of 2x4 and 4x4 on the bedding in the brooder. Don't use wolmanized, though...

 

[keljonma]

We use tree branches. We put them in the brooder pool from the first week and raise them as the chicks age. And use them in the hen house in warm weather.


Roost laying on floor of brooder pool

Chicks roosting in the brooder pool

In the hen house

 

[Break an Egg]

I made holes in the sides of my plastic brooder box the size of screws. Then I got a large branch that had fallen from the cottonwood tree in the backyard and screwed screws from the outside in. It works perfectly. You could also make holes in the side big enough for a thin dowel to go through.

 

[Yellowbird]

I have 15 buff orp pullets and one rooster. They are 9 weeks old. From week one I have had some sort of perch in their brooder and coop. Different heights different thicknesses from 3/4" to 2" diameter. They perch on the roosts on occaision but at night they still pile together in a corner. I had a brooder light so they weren't cold and now that its hot here and not cold at night I thought they would be roosting at night? What age do they roost at night?