What do you make your roosts out of?

[UnlabeledMama]

What do you use to make your roosts? And how far up do you place them? I wanted to do a leaning roost against one wall of the coop - how far apart would you put them?

Thank you!

 

[jedgeworth]

2x4's or tree linbs i used both. Place them as high in the coop as possible the higher the better they like it. Here is a picture of mine.

 

[ShoreBird]

We made a roost using two 2x4s for the side supports and four straight trunks of young sumac trees we cut down on our property. Right now I have them supported on some cinder blocks on an angle (3 blocks high in the back and 2 blocks high in the front), but I want to get the back up higher as I too noticed that they like the higher roosts better. The smooth bark of the sumac is easy on their feet and the diameter varies from one end of the trunk to the other allowing my two turkeys and my jersey giants with their larger feet to be as comfortable as my hens with smaller feet.

 

[UnlabeledMama]

Thank you! We have tree branches as temporary roosts - I didn't think about using them as permanent ones!

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

Roosting bars should be 12 inches away from the wall and 15 inches between roosts.
2/4’s flat or 2/3 (cheaper)
We added some lineoneum for easy cleaning and on top of it we added a good amount of sweet pdz/DE. We love it. It take us 10 minutes max to clean it every morning. The girls love it (and we do too!)

 

[debid]

Thank you! We have tree branches as temporary roosts - I didn't think about using them as permanent ones!

I use a 3-4" diameter tree trunk for their roost. The only potential problem is that mites can hide in the texture. I sprayed mine with neem prior to using it and dried it in the sun. When I did my big, annual cleaning, I sprayed the whole coop with organic fruit tree spray and soaked the roost with it at the same time. It seems to be working just fine and I figured that it's easy enough to replace as needed.

 

[farmer9989]

Don't know how many chickens you have but if you have a lot they will all try to get on the highest roost that is why mine are the same height.

 

[mickey328]

We use 2x4's...one with the 4' side up and one with the 2" side up. It gives them the option of being flat footed so they can hunker down on their feet when it's cold, or gripping if they prefer.

 

[vickichicki]

My two cents on this one.

After my husband finished a decking job we have a half a box of composite deck baulsters. They are approx 1" in width.
Double those up and you have a nice and extreamly cleanable roost bar. The finish makes them easy to rinse and the poop does not stick or soak through.

Only disadvantage of them is the lengths are around 36" 0r 42".

Might be able to pick up some singles from a box store or check out Craigslist for them.

 

[Mac14]

We use closet poles.