Building the Perfect Roost for Your Chickens – A Brief Guide in 2024

Introduction

To ensure our chickens enjoy the most comfort and well-being, we must go beyond providing ample food and water. One crucial aspect of poultry management is creating an environment for our poultry to roost or perch.

What we consider a comfortable and cozy bed for a good night’s sleep differs markedly from what chickens consider cozy. The biggest concerns for chickens are being safe and secure and not being harassed by other poultry.

So, we must build or provide them with a secure roosting perch area to survive the night and see the next day. This ensures a good night’s sleep for our poultry.

This guide will explore how to make their roosts comfortable and the steps needed to promote their health and overall well-being. By understanding chicken’s natural behaviors and implementing simple yet effective strategies, we can enhance the quality of life for our feathered friends and enjoy a healthier flock.

Understanding Chicken Roosting Behavior

Over the years of keeping chickens on our farm, we did a lot of watching our birds. In addition to fixing health issues like cuts, injuries from fighting, and predator attacks, we noted any issues with their feet. The more we watched our hens and roosters, the more we learned what they needed. It is natural for chickens to roost during the day and especially overnight.

We also noticed that certain breeds preferred not to roost, although this was rare, and the breed we noticed do this the most was the Hyline chickens (they were a commercial breed primarily bred for laying eggs at quantity). We didn’t have many of this breed and not for very long, so our observations were never genuinely tested for fact.

Designing the Ideal Roosting Area

Creating the perfect roosting area involves careful consideration of dimensions, materials, and placement. The best roost materials typically include wooden or plastic roosts 2-4 inches wide, 12-18 inches apart, and positioned at varying heights within the coop to accommodate different preferences.

Materials such as semi-smooth, round wooden bars are commonly preferred for their comfort and ease of cleaning. Additionally, placing roosts at least 18 inches above the ground and away from drafty areas ensures a secure and cozy environment for your chickens to rest and roost comfortably.

Although this said, be aware that the smaller the breed, e.g., Pekins, Silkies, the need for smaller diameter roosts. It is good to set their roosts in place, observe your hens, and adjust for any issues you see. Check the chicken’s feet after a few days and then a couple of weeks, and ensure they sit comfortably on the roosts you have built (or bought). If you notice any sores or cuts, then make changes to help stabilize the chicken’s comfort and health.

Choosing Suitable Roosting Materials – What is best?

Suitable roosting materials are essential for providing chickens with a comfortable and hygienic resting space.

Standard options include wood, metal, or plastic. See more on this here:

Wood is popular due to its natural feel and grip, but it requires regular maintenance to prevent splintering and rot. It also may harbor red mites if it has cracks where they can hide. Check underneath also. Treated wood is not recommended as they may peck or ingest the treated chemicals. It is advisable to err on the side of caution.

Metal roosts are durable and easy to clean but may become cold in cooler weather, slippery, and uncomfortable.

Plastic roosts are lightweight and resistant to rot but can become slippery when wet. Regardless of the material chosen, regularly inspecting and cleaning roosts is crucial for preventing the buildup of feces and parasites, ensuring a healthy environment for your flock.

Here is a video on DIY roost building that I found; it will take you away from this blog, and it is not affiliated with this site, but it’s food for thought and sharing is caring 🙂

Enhancing Roost Comfort and Safety

Ensuring the comfort and safety of your chickens involves more than just selecting the suitable materials for roosts; it also requires attention to design details and structural stability.

Adding rounded edges or padding can help prevent foot injuries and discomfort. However, practicality and function need to be considered. It is no use having comfy padding that becomes infested with mites and a cleaning nightmare.

Additionally, ensuring roosts are securely anchored and supported will prevent collapses and injuries, providing your flock with a stable and secure environment for rest and relaxation.

We designed our own roosts for our poultry, which slot into a holder and can be removed for cleaning. Once every three months, we remove them and dip-treat them with insecticide to keep mites away.

If you don’t want to use chemicals to treat your roosts, we discovered you can use an oil, water, and soap mix. This mix must be put on the roosts more often during a mite infestation, but it keeps them from getting onto the chickens. It works because the oil stops them from moving around on the roosts, and then the soap must taste yuk and kill them. The roosts need to be square for this to work; otherwise, the chickens may slide off and hurt themselves.

Addressing Common Roosting Issues

Build a roost, and they will come. If they don’t, you need to consider what is causing them to avoid the roosts. A common roosting issue is “bullying behavior” or “nest-box-roosting.” This can disrupt the harmony within your flock and affect their overall well-being. To address these issues, try quick solutions such as installing dividers or barriers to discourage chickens from roosting in nest boxes.

Multiple roosting options at varying heights can help alleviate overcrowding and reduce bullying. Observing flock behavior closely and making necessary adjustments to the roosting area can help maintain a peaceful and comfortable environment for your chickens.

We did a five-tiered roost for our laying hens (we had over 800 laying hens, so space was at a premium). The hens quickly determined who was on the top rung and who would be sequestered to the bottom. 

You will notice that young, healthy birds will roost early and high while less healthy birds will roost at lower levels, and older hens still in charge will take the top rungs, and older and beginning to lose in the pecking order will be pushed down to the lower roosts. It’s all-natural – try not to interfere with this process. It can look mean and cruel, but it is the order of things in the natural world.

It is not a good idea to put a weaker or lesser assertive hen on a higher rung of the pen to gain a top position. The boss hen, Head Hen, or Lead Hens do not take kindly to another hen stealing their roost. It can end in injury or, worse, death. Always observe and learn.

Conclusion

Creating a comfortable and safe roosting area for your chickens is essential for their health and happiness. Understanding their natural behaviors and needs allows you to design an ideal roost that promotes restful sleep and prevents injuries.

Remember to consider factors such as dimensions, materials, and placement when designing your roosting area.

Regular maintenance and cleanliness are crucial for preventing health issues and maintaining a hygienic environment. As poultry owners, it’s our responsibility to prioritize the well-being of our birds.

By providing our poultry with a comfortable and secure roost, we can ensure they lead happy and healthy lives.