What type of roost should I use?

[cmom]

Just my opinion, you can use branches, ladders or boards for your bantam and large chickens roosts. Roosts should be at least 2 inches to 4 inches wide. Chickens don’t wrap their feet around a roost like wild birds do. They actually prefer to sleep flat-footed. This has an added benefit of keeping their feet protected from frostbite in the winter using the roost as protection and using their body as protection on top of their feet. Also, this protects their feet from mice or rats who may nibble on chicken toes while they are sleeping. Hopefully there aren't any. I personally have all large fowl so I use 2x4's with the 4 in side up. I haven't had any complaints.

 

[centrarchid]

This has been eating at me for a while. Appears to be a major effort to address well being of birds.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0168159190900134

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159113002414

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159109002603

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159114001610

All the studies involve keeping of chickens outside my realm. When they say high roost option, it is barely half as high as I like birds to roost. There birds also in decidedly more protected and higher population density settings. Breed may also be a factor.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

What fascinating articles! I was leaning toward branches for perches, but the first article noted the importance of keeping the perches clean of manure etc. Apparently the incidence of bumblefoot increases with dirty perches, unsurprisingly. Hard to keep a branch with bark clean. I’ll have to keep thinking (and reading) about this.

Thanks for the links! Always good to have some actual research to help figure things out!

 

[cmom]

Thanks for the articles. I thought they were fascinating too.

 

[Howard E]

Same dimensions for XL birds? I have some Light Brahmas and Black Jersey Giants coming... Thanks!

You can try a ripped down 2 x 4....making it 1.5" x 1.75"......narrow side up to start......and if that seems to cause trouble, turn it to the wide side up. With the narrow side up, it is a vertical rectangular stud so to speak and will support their weight better without sagging. All mine are currently 1.5" x 1.75" narrow side up....ripped down from a 2 x 4 stud which came with edges eased over.

BTW, I checked the other evening and while on the roost, all my birds had their front toes over the front and all also had the back toe bent over the back edge. They were locked on....and crouched down. I did not check to see if their keel bones were resting on the roost bar. Studies say they do.

The only benefit I can see for the wider perches is if the birds do prefer to rest their keel bones on the wider perch.....but are forced to balance themselves to stay put if they do. Can't lock down to a wide perch. Few if any studies I have seen have included the wide perches.....like a 2 x 4 wide side up.....in the studies. I think someone on BYC did a lay study a year or so back. I don't remember what he concluded.

First "scientific" information on laying hen roost bars I can recall finding dates back over 100 years to information published by the Missouri Poultry Research Center at Mountain Grove.....circa 1915. Back then, ideal roost bars were considered to be a 1" x 2" roost.....narrow side up. But they were using smaller leghorns almost exclusively, so a smaller bird.

Other things they figured out 100 years ago was to make all roost bars on one level (no ladders) as all birds will make for the top level and will fight to get there. Far better to put them on one level and about 8" to 10" per bird spacing minimum. I currently have 2 - 8' roost bars.....16 linear feet for 23 birds, and there are generally gaps remaining.....most pack in tight to the sides......front and back....and both sides. Open real estate is in the middle. Easter eggers are always up first.....always....maybe 10 minutes or more before anyone else. They get the prime real estate on the ends.

Roosts should be higher than any other structure......like nest boxes, etc. Mine are about 40 inches off the deck and about 12 to 14 inches headroom left to the roof......10 inches off the back wall and out of drafts.....and about 14 to 15 inches apart. I have one Wyandotte who prefers to roost by herself on one of the monitor window sills.......only 3 1/2" wide. Part hangs out in space. Can't tell if she likes the greater height or solitude. Nobody is beating her up up there.

How high would they go? Given a choice.......pretty high. We were in Key West a few years back and the feral chickens there routinely work their way to 20 feet or more up in the trees. Others will roost up in the rafters of barns, etc.

 

[centrarchid]

Tonight I will take a picture of a bunch of American Dominiques and a few game hens roosting on 1.5" diameter dowels. They sit calmly enough for me to reach under to feel what kind of pressure the breast puts on the roost dowel.

Most of my game roosters do roost on the 1 x 2 material as it is the cheapest material I can get and it can hold a hen and cock without failing.

 

[centrarchid]

Check this out.
This is a breeding group of 9 American Dominique pullets being linebred back to their 5 year old dad. Roost is about 1.1 meters above ground. All but two pullets are on a the 1.25" diameter dowel that is 72" long although about a foot on each is not available to birds. Roosting is too tight for number of birds. Another similar sized roost to left is not being used at all so location is worth considering.

Picture from below. I am not able to see any toes exposed in photograph.

Birds were calm enough to allow me to place fingers between roost and their breast without moving. It feels like little or no actual weight is supported by contact between roost and keel of breast. With heavier breeds the weight distribution may differ.

Last image of American Game hens and a couple Missouri Dominiques that at roosting in a similar manner in adjacent pen. All three groups contracted roosting pattern in last few days, about time the hens came back into heavy lay.

 

[Leigti]

I think this is one of those topics that is hard to make a blanket statement about. There are so many varying factors. Kind of like the topic of which way the coop should face. Some say self, but in my climate an area that would be the worst direction. So it is individual I think. Depending on what kind of birds you have, what you claim it is, how much room you have. I think this is one of those topics that is hard to make a blanket statement about. There are so many varying factors. Kind of like the topic of which way the coop should face. Some say self, but in my climate an area that would be the worst direction. So it is individual I think. Depending on what kind of birds you have, what your climate is, how much room you have. I have various dual purpose breeds, all the roosts on one level, and have two by fours with a 4 inch side up. Works for my chickens but may not work for others. I think research articles are important, but you can’t just take them on face value either. They were tested under very specific circumstances that may not be your circumstances.