Raising chickens can be rewarding, fun, therapeutic, and for some, maybe a bit nerve-wracking!
There is literally tons of information about raising chicks and chickens and it is hard to sort through it all to determine what is right, what is not, and what is just plain weird.
If people have beds, then chickens have perches or roosts. And just like beds, chicken perches should be properly designed and built to be comfortable for the chickens to roost at night!
Perches allow birds to get off the ground and feel more secure.
Yes there are certain features that make a good chicken perch but there is definitely nothing difficult about making one. As long as you take note of some simple reminders, your chickens will be happy with their roost. Happy chickens lay lots of eggs :)
First, your chicken perch should be secure. Make sure it can be closed up at night because it serves as their ‘bedroom’ where they want to feel safe while resting. Once a predator enters and scares or harms the chickens, they will start looking for a new place to perch!
After finding a good spot for it, make sure the dimensions of your perch are good. There should be enough room for all the chooks which means that the perches or branches have to be at least 8 inches apart from each other.
Chickens digest food and release their waste during the night, too, so your chicken perch should be angled such that they won’t be dropping waste on one another; around 30 to 40 degrees.
Now since all the waste goes below the chicken roost, you should also consider how you can access the area for easy cleanup. You can attach chains to the chicken perch so you can lift it up out of the way while cleaning. Or you can simply install a tarpaulin under it to serve as a collection tray which you can easily remove and empty. (There are plenty of solutions for this and you can find more ideas by viewing our album below.)
Simply use timber, large dowel rods, or just tree branches (the best material since it is natural) when building a chicken roost. You don’t have to (and should not) use any other material as chickens are most comfortable and naturally roost with wood. You can use a combination of different sizes of these wood materials to let your chickens choose and find a favorite spot.
And that’s it! Those are the only factors you need to think about to make your chickens happy with their roost and their home in general.
Do you know someone new to raising chickens who could use this information? :)
Materials:
- 2×2 Timber, Large Dowel Rods or Tree Branches
- 1×2 Timber
- Bolts
- Screws
- Chains
Tools:
- Measuring Tape
- Saw
- Planer
- Sander
Click on any image to start the lightbox display. Use your Esc key to close the lightbox.
Thanks to Raising Chickens for this great project. You can get step-by-step instructions here…
