what you see when you actually look around the barn

Well I must say I have been doing chores and talking to birds all
winter and not really seeing what is going on in the barn. The
disscussion on roosts made me go out and look in the bird pens. I had
wondered why my young orp pullets were always on the ground I got
excited that they were starting to lay eggs and thought that was
the reason. When I put the youngsters out in the barn I had used hockey
sticks stuck in the xpen panel for roosts they were just the right
size. Well I realized why they were sleeping on the floor. They are too
big to perch on those liittle sticks. These birds are HUGE! I guess it
was toounstable for them to perch on. All 5 girls are so big which is
great but I need to get better perches for them. I went to look at the
3 orp roos, I mean really look at them and they are big strapping boys
. So what should I buy for wood 2x4 or 2x6's and lay them flat for
perching? What I thought I would do is make some short saw horses
that way they are movable. Thanks Geri

My big Cochins and orpingtons seem to like 1x4 perches best with the sharp edges rounded off a bit. Don't make them too high as heavy birds can damage their feet when jumping down. I also have some perches made from large tree branches - about 5 inches in diameter. They are ancient and worn smooth from decades of chickens perching on them. I like the short saw horse idea - I have a couple of those which are perfect for temporary areas like breeding pens.

KathyS wrote:My big Cochins and orpingtons seem to like 1x4 perches
best with the sharp edges rounded off a bit. Don't make them too high
as heavy birds can damage their feet when jumping down. I also have
some perches made from large tree branches - about 5 inches in
diameter. They are ancient and worn smooth from decades of chickens
perching on them. I like the short saw horse idea - I have a couple of
those which are perfect for temporary areas like breeding pens.

Thanks Kathy. How high should I make them ? Is the board upright or flat so they sit on the 4 inch wide part.?
Geri

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Here is my roosts. They are 2x4 on flat with one nailed in the middle to make a T shape. I have read that the roost should be wide enough to stand on. Their whole foot has to be supported by the board. In the winter time they will use their breasts to cover their feet so they don't freeze.

Here is a thread that I have read dealing with this.
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I dug up a couple of pix...they say a picture is worth a thousand words! So here is one roost that is built like a ladder. They always go for the top rung at night, but during the day they get some exersize going up and down the levels.

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Here is a quick little temporary roost. Its just a step up, and not high enough for the Wyandottes. They figured it was a joke and and half of them ended up roosting on top of the nest boxes instead. But the big Buff Orp roosters were fine with it.

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My breeding pens have two, one at 1.5 ft high and one at 3 ft high. They are about 10 inches apart. They have no choice but to use the bottom one to get up or down. The area doesnt allow for them to fly up or down from the top. I use scrap wood that is about 2 x 4. I would say, even my highest are a bit high for heavier breeds.