Which roost is best?

ChickenKatie

In the Brooder
10 Years
Mar 18, 2009
14
0
22
I'm in the process of building my coop, and am installing the roosts now. I was going to use a 1X2 board for one and a sturdy branch for the other. I had heard that if you live in northern climates, like I do, having a flat board roost can help prevent frost-bite as they can sit completely on their feet and keep them warm. I wanted to see if anyone has any comments on this, it is my first coop and first batch of chickens, so any suggestions are welcome!
 
We use a 2x4 with the wide side up for a roost. It's wide enough that our chickens lay on their feet/toes and keep them warm in very cold weather.
 
Hi and Welcome to BYC!
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I agree with redoak about using a 2 x 4 as opposed to the 1 x 2. We use 2 x 4's with the 4" side up for them to be able to roost on.

Hope this is some help!


Dawn
 
Yup, for a cold climate use either the wide face of a 2x4, or a wideish tree branch (5+" diameter, bark removed).

A 1x2 will sag horribly under the weight of chickens over even the shortest span, so it would not work very well even in a warm climate.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat
 
I put up a 1x6 deck board and a 2x4 with the wide sides up so they chickens can roost on them. I put braces under them at the middle so they wouldn't sag under the weight of the roosting chickens. Same reason as the others. I live in Indiana and it can get cold. I've thought it would be best if the chickens could sit over their feet and keep them warm.
 
well thanks all, I did end up using a board, wide side up and a sturdy branch as well, the setup looks like it will work, but i'll have to see once the chicks can move in. Thanks for the help!!
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I'm just curious: how cold is too cold? I'm in Maryland, and it can get pretty cold here (in the 20s, maybe even a tiny bit colder in the middle of winter). Above all else, I want them to be comfortable so I'll probably use the 2"x4" anyway - great idea! Thanks!
 
Well, it's kind of challenging to give a chicken frostbite above 32 F, so I'd say if a person's climate never gets below that then *definitely* no reason to worry
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Places that freeze, honestly I see zero reason not to just automatically use the wider roost (it has no disadvantages at all); your actual risk of frostbite at subfreezing temperatures depends very heavily on all sorts of things including coop humidity.

Pat
 
I vote for a 2 x 4 regardless of climate. After watching my chicks use an apple tree branch VS a 2 x 4. They looked much more comfortable sleeping on the 2 x 4.

I will however place a large fallen tree branch in their run to play on or roost if they choose but for my preference in the roost, I choose a 2 x 4.

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