Wrapping roost bars

[StinkyAcres]

I've had coarse wood chippings in my run for 10+ years, never had any bumblefoot issues....nor any foot injuries that were bad enough for me to notice.

Do you have roosts in your run?

 

[aart]

Do you have roosts in your run?

Yes, the highest one is about 5+'...and a few at 2' and 3'.

 

[Hollisterb4]

2 of my girls have mild bumblefoot and weird footpad formations (apparently keratin overgrowth).
I took them to the vet today to get checked out. Beyond treating their feet and wrapping them, she recommended I cover their roost bars with astroturf. Has anyone covered/wrapped their roost bars? And what did you use? Would love your thoughts! And pics would be a bonus!

I would suggest a smaller roosting bar, certainly not 4" wide. Chickens lived in trees not on flat, smooth surfaces. I have a lot of cedar trees so I've used limbs as roosts and that has worked great with Zero poop as well. If you want to buy roosts, I'd suggest looking at Carolina coops rope-wrapped roosting bars. I've had some for about 3 years and zero poop with great gripping. At least read about the shape and size of their roosts because they understand chickens and their habitats. I do not use store bought wood for use unless I'm going to wrap it and adapt it for more natural positions for the feet. I keep a tool of natural fiber rope on hand as it's great for many purposes.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

As I understand it, when it comes to width and shape of roosting bars, this is something that chickens do differently from other birds:

Chickens don’t clutch the roost bars at night when they sleep. They simply squat down, resting on their feet, and they’re completely fine with flat lumber. Their toes aren’t wrapped around, gripping the bar, unless it’s so narrow that maybe their toes are hanging over the edge or something. Maybe chamfer the edges of the 2x4 down a bit for smoothing.

Additionally, a 2x4 with the wide side up (actually 3 1/2”, of course) is preferred by many chickens, especially when it gets cold. When their toes can rest completely on the surface (the top), their bodies and feathers cover their toes and keep them warm.

This is counter-intuitive to our mental images of perching birds with their toes wrapped around a twig, so something to be aware of. If you want branches for your coop, great; just consider getting wide-diameter ones for nighttime.

I do have rough, bark-covered branches out in the run, which they love during the day when they’re not out yard-ranging.

 

[Perris]

Amongst the birds, only the passerines have the gripping mechanism to latch onto a branch. Chickens are galliformes.

I would imagine rope offers endless hiding places for mites, which I prefer to keep out of the coop and definitely off the roosts.