R.Roo and twisted theory.

I wonder....chickens are supposed to roost on FLAT surfaces. They do not have the foot structure of a parrot, parrots are meant to roost on ROUND surfaces. Yet I see pictures of people's coops and will see ROUND poles or tree trunks or limbs used for roosts. These are not correct for the needs of a chicken.

This makes me wonder if twisted toes can be environmentally caused by improper roosts? Maybe we ding birds on the 'perfect' scale when it has nothing to do with inheritance and everything to do with problems we cause for them? If you think environment and use can't affect feet, just ask any high level ballerina to show you her feet. GHASTLY!

Any credibility to my theory or just bunk?

None of my roosts are round, yet I still have crooked toes here and there. Also there is no physical reason I can think of why a round roost would cause a toe to turn crooked. It's just harder for them to cover their toes with their breasts at night.

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My Silkies NEVER roost and their feet are the worst.

Somethings amiss here. If trees grow round branches, and chickens' feet aren't designed to roost on round branches, either someone's left the lid off the glue bottle, or we have a problem.

I was always told if I was going to use a round roost, make it as thick as my forearm and rough, not smooth. Then they can roost with their feet flat like they like.
I use 2 x 4s with the thick side up.

I have heard if you let your young stock roost to early it can cause feet and keel bone trouble. I would imagine that is especially true on poor quality roosts.

The roosts in my old-school chicken coop are thick branches that vary in thickness from end to end and also wave up and down, so there's not a real even surface anywhere. I suppose they would be about the thickness of the average forearm. We're somewhat above average in thickness around here.

You can see them on the right side of this picture. (Excuse mess in coop, has been used to store other people's junk for a decade or so.)

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I was going to pitch the old roosts and build new ones, but maybe I will do an experiment, do one row of 2x4 on the flat and a second row of the old branches, and see what the chickens prefer.

From the droppings patterns, though, it mostly looks like the chickens preferred to roost on top of the nesting boxes.

I'm not saying this is the way it is, I'm just saying it's an idea that popped into my head.

BUt let us pursue Hillbilly's glue bottle assertion a bit further.

We live in Canada. Canada was never home to chickens until they were imported here from somewhere else. Like hot coutries. Where we all know trees grow flat, squarish branches. But Canadian trees grow limbs with a roundish shape, which helps to repel cold and disguise them from beavers.

Once chickens left their hot countries of origin, they slowly morphed into larger, heavier birds. Mostly flightless. This flightlessness was nature's way of protecting their feet from the crippling effects of roosting in Canada's conifers and deciduous. Therefore hot country, flying chickens ARE able to roost in their flat limbed trees. But butt heavy Canadian birds were meant to be ground tied and stay OUT of our damaging round limbed tree canopy. And THAT, my dear Mr. Hillbilly, is the Gordon's honest truth!

So, instead of getting the chicken back to its warmth loving, round branch roosting roots, we should concentrate our genetic breeding efforts into creating two-by-four limbed maple and fir trees.
Yanno, I think you're onto something here...we could eliminate another step in the manufacturing process. Cutting 2X4's off the tree would lower construction costs AND keep the chickens happy. Not only that, money saved in fuel going to get lumber when I could walk out back and cut a limb or two for coop construction!

I don`t know what the answer is but the large majority of the chickens I`ve had like to roost in the trees even though I make 2x2 and 2x4 roosts in the coops. Even the newcomers eventually go into the trees after seeing the others up there.

I had heard and read about getting them to roost on flatter or larger surfaces so the toes get covered by the feathers. I let them do what they want to as far as perching...

Hillbilly! Exactly! The problem here is not chicken feet. The problem here is that 2x4s don't grow on trees! We have to get ipf on board (board, hee hee) since she is a tree geneticist and she can tell us how to rub two pinecones together to get trees that grow flat limbed roosting spots. Why haven't we thought of this before! Hillbilly, shame on you...you're falling down on the job.

Chicken Crack, what kind of chickens do you keep? My chickens couldn't get up in the tree limbs around here if their lives depended on it! In all the years my birds have been outside roaming around I have NEVER found one in a tree. On the snowmobiles, yes. In a tree, no.

Uno, is this why you've experimented with giving your birds bears and bobcats to roost on? and why haven't you put this skidoo driving chicken on Youtube?

I have 2X4's and branches and some low platforms. The birds just seem to pick what they like.

My wyandottes, who have no problem getting on a roost if they decide to, just sleep under a plywood leantoo against the wall. I imagine it's warmer at this time of year. Especially when you get 5 or 6 birds in there. It was just intended to be a privacy thing sitting over a nest box, not a wyandotte harem room.

Wyandotte Harem Room. 2X4 trees. This thread is producing some whoppers! To add to the actuall discussion, in summer time I have to go out an individually pick Wyandottes out of the trees in the evening. This is especially fun when there is no moon and you've forgotten the flashlight. Inside the nice, safe coop, we have wooden roosts, not sure if their 2X2's or some other cast off size (recycled from other projects). There are also wooden roosts outside underneath the trees.

However, their perchant for perching in the trees may simply be a result of wanting to get "higher" rather than roosting material prefrerence.

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The Great Swamp Roof Roosters! (Aka Burbon reds) Who refused to roost anywhere but the chicken house roof. I soon gave up chasing them off with the broom. By the end of the summer the hen was flying from the roof up to the top of the hydro pole!

Ah yes the wild broom swing. I found that its harder to re-train them once they find a sweet spot. Especially roofs, it took me forever to get mine off one roof just to have them move to my chicken coop roof. I too gave up

RUn for your life! IT's crazy hat, broom, pigtail lady!

Picking wyandottes out of trees.

Now there's an image for a commercial.

"Our chickens are only harvested when they're at their peak ripeness..."

Fowler wrote:Picking wyandottes out of trees.

Now there's an image for a commercial.

"Our chickens are only harvested when they're at their peak ripeness..."

Oooh, I like that Fowler!

coopslave wrote:

Fowler wrote:Picking wyandottes out of trees.

Now there's an image for a commercial.

"Our chickens are only harvested when they're at their peak ripeness..."

Oooh, I like that Fowler!

Thats a keeper