How To Build A Chicken Roost That Won’t Harm Your Chickens 

That hen 🐔 was reading you the riot act! LOL

HAHAHA!! Love when the chicken was yelling at you that was so funny!

4:40 it’s actually a 2x3 . Actual size of the lumber is 1-1/2 X 2-1/2

That as you called it 1 x 3 is accually a 2x3. As a rule dementia lumber is a 1/2" small then what you call it. I.e. a 2x4 accually measures (1-1/2"x3-1/2')

Awesome crew work guys!!!!

Great information thanks for sharing

Great info, a question I was asking. I like how the combination of scientific study + Homesteady reality = happy chickens, the perfect formula!

YOUR KIDS ARE SOOO DARN CUTE!🥰🥰🥰

Can you believe that early in the 20th century could actually buy roost lumber? I find it around this farm. It was 1 5/8" X 3" square edges on the bottom and 1 5/8 radius on the top. Today you can make it with a router table and a rounding bit. Back then, they were building thousands of chicken houses like the one I have here in Western Washington.

Great job kids!

I really appreciate this video in the scientific evidence thank you. I have a small 4 x 6 coop… How far away should the roost be from the coop wall?

thaks for the info about roost thanks

Thankyou so much for your help

Great information! Thank you!

in forty yrs of keeping chickens i have never leveled a roost but we only have country chickens

That's a 2x3, Aust, not a 1x2.

I'm with you... chicken tenders!!

Good job I love ur video and I love chicken though u can use chicken in permaculture to turn ur compost will scratching

What about a finish on the roost for easiest cleaning?

Hi Austin, You tube unsubscribed me from your channel, I have missed you lately, Now I know why ! Do your chickens stand in front of the nest box at night? mine do and poo in the nests real pain!!!

Those big fat washers are called fender washers.

Thank you, I have mixed age chickens and they are unsettled and don’t seem to be resting well at night.

I'm so happy to see young families having children.

They always roosted in trees and tree branches are round. They choose which branches fit their feet.

Doesn't the nesting boxes have to be below the roost

glad to see you wearing a mask to clean. As a child I got hytoplasmosis from cleaning out the bird house, Don't know if it was the chickens or the pigeons that also desided to make the nest in the hen house. Its a fungus you get in your lungs from breathing it in from bird dropings. Really not fun for a kid who loved to run. I would get out of breath just barely walking.

Have you noticed they jockey for the window ?

YOU HAD a 2x3 - Home Depot has them.

Him: big heavy birds What he’s talking about: laying hens

That's a 2x3, which is nominally 1.5x2.5 inches

2x3

You actually do want them flat footed. Not correct to say you have to have them slightly grip the roost.

its a 2x3 not 1x2 fyi not trying to troll just incase someone wants to buy it at the store

chickens prefer 2-2.5 inches per a UK study, and any chicken raising facility is required to provide roosting for all chickens....NO CAGE chickens with proper place to sleep. They are ahead of us overthere.

Just a strong lemb of a tree works it doesn't take science to raise chickens people

Ignore my update question on your 3 dollar box video.

Just a minor detail - safety glasses don't protect eyes when on top of your head - lol 😂😂😂🐥🐥I m not one to talk, i never wear them👎

What I learned is there are still dewalt tools

You should have used a branch. The flat side to roost on is not healthy.

That’s a 2X3 lol not a 1X

Chicken falanges?

That is a 2x3

That’s a 2 by 3. Not a 1 by 2

That's a 2×3 not a 1×2

He literally measured that board 1 5/8th and 2 1/2 then called it a 1 x 2. I hope he isn't in charge of putting eggs in his cartons. He would probably put a 15 eggs in and calls it a dozen.

Scientific studies! 😂 they say global warming is from man’s use of carbon and say it’s scientifically proven which is crap! Soooooo, we take scientific claims with a grain of salt!

NEVER!

I don't use science on my farm I believe in doing it the old fashion way

You really shouldn't try to appear more knowledgeable than you actually are, it can be misleading ... Just saying

You are giving bs info and poor chickens are trying to balance when they are sleeping

Hi, my general research about roosts, all indicate that, nesting boxes, should always be under de rooster so that chickens won't sleep inside nesting boxes, and, because they will always go to the highest spot to sleep in. Just a tip.

Hi Austin, I just want to compliment you on the quality of your video's. They are a delight to watch and I look forward to watching them everyday!

We cut saplings....just like in nature, the chickens like a tree branch so, I provide natural for them.

A 1 by 2 is 5/8 by 1 1/2, so he is actually using a 2 x 3.

I would’ve put the 1 X 2 with the longer side up so they would be more comfortable. My coop has 2 X 4 roosts with the 4” side up. The reason I did this is they like to rest their breast bone on the roost as well.

Greetings...C'mon Dad, at the end with the Crew, Awesome. May there be much Happiness. Thanks for the Knowledge. Praise Our Lord and Saviour Jesus.

I see you are not a wood worker. The "1x2" you are as you called it is actually a 2x3. You loose about a 1/4 inch on each side when it is planed. Giving you 1 1/2 x 2 1/2.

Who knew the roost would also be perfect for giraffes? ❤

Nice roosts! I used pallets for my roosts held up with 2x4s screwed to them then slide boot trays under to catch poop. I just empty the boot trays which means less complete coop cleaning for me. I remove every other board then sand the remaining ones smooth chickens seem to really like them as I also have a regular 2x4 roost and the all roost on the pallet roost.

In cold climates like northern states and Canada, toes exposed below feather cover are subject to frost bite. 4” is standard MINIMUM perch width in northern climates where temperatures drop below freezing. Chickens without feet (due to frost bite) is a real thing, and you will run into mention of this issue a lot on the poultry forums (people writing in when they discover their chickens’ toes and feet have frozen). A simple search for the term frost bite, or frost bitten toes should demonstrate. If you want to curve the edges of the perches to make them more “ergonomic” that’s fine, but observe your chickens’ feet at night when they are roosting to make sure the toes aren’t exposed. Larger breeds with bare legs are even more susceptible. It should go without saying that if you are installing perches low enough for smaller predators to reach (Rats, Weasels, Minks) that the run and sleeping area must be ABSOLUTELY PREDATOR PROOF, with 1/2” wire mesh (commonly sold as “hardware cloth”) surrounding all the open-air areas and all gaps between wood panels and under doors closed up to prevent them getting in. Weasels and minks will chase down chickens and usually wipe out an entire flock in one visit. Rats devour food and have been shown in video surveillance footage to occasionally kill vulnerable members of a flock. Another note, since chickens seek the highest roost, make sure your nest boxes are on a lower level than the roosts, or they’ll roost (and poo all night) in the nests, dirtying the eggs. All surfaces should be painted (or limed) to seal the wood for hygiene purposes. That is standard for any livestock and dog/cat kennels/boarding facilities as well and Animal Welfare inspectors check for that. Bacteria, viruses, and mites will get into the cracks and pores of bare wood and cause disease conditions, and it’s very difficult to sanitize bare wood. The brackets are a good idea for supporting the perches. 👍 Chickens tend to buddy-up with their favorite companions at night and you might see groups of five or six side by side with a loner off by herself, and perches without support brackets can sag.

Dude. “Hot and fresh out the chicken”. Totally missed an opportunity there 😂😂😂

Omg dude I cracked the frick up this whole video 💖 CHICKEN FINGERS

Nicely done! Fun to watch! Love the giraffe perch! Lol! And that angry chicken, guess she didn't want us to 'screw' with her laying progress! Smiles and blessings...

A "furring strip 1.75x1.75" can be purchased at any hardware/lumber store and work great for roosts.

It's a good idea to have the roosts higher than the nests, since chickens tend to roost on the highest place possible. I enjoy your videos and glad to be a subscriber!

Good information , and really funny upsetting the chicken in the nest ! Lol

Where do the hens rest mostly, on the roost or in the nest? Theoretically the roost should be higher than the nests entrance. Correct or its not important? Thanks!

I skipped the metal brackets. Just screw a 2x4 scrap on each wall, and cut a 2x2 (actually 1-1/2 x 1-1/2) long enough to fit snugly from wall to wall, resting on each scrap. A screw down into that scrap holds it immovable. If you're worried about weight, put a floor-to-roost support in the center. It's not the Taj Mahal, but it's just chickens. And it'll last a lifetime.

If you use the deep litter method, you will have to clean less often, will eliminate odors, and get some awesome compost!

i read somewhere for us that live in cold climate having a 2x4 flat side up so they can lay on there feet more with there bellys to keep there feet warmer so thats how mine are. what foot problems can occur you speak of? i want to make sure my girls are not hurting there feet.

I was wondering where the blues clues guy went!!!

All good on wearing safety goggles just put them in the correct position in future to protect your sight 😂👍🏻 nice vid though!

There are at least two happy families over there... on my word, good humor is contagious. Thanks...

We use tree branches for our roost . They seem to like it and last longer too

It' a 2x3, not a 1x2. Otherwise, nice video.

thats a 2x3 not a 1x2 .. if it were a 1x2 it would be 5/8 x 1-5/8 lol so that being 2.5 inches wide it would be a 2x3 still they always make them slightly smaller.

ok real question, how high is too high. My birds started flying up into my cupola. That's a fairly drafty 8-10 ft off the ground.

Hi Austin, thank you making this great video! Evidence based information in an absolute fun way format!

That's called a 2x3, not a 1x2. Rounding off the edges looks like a good idea though.

That's not a 1x2...if it's 1 5/8 x 2 1/2 that's a "2x3"....!

Hahaha 😅 the sleeping/chicken fingers part was good. Very clever Mr.

Chicken Toes~!? Great job with the video. Well done, ThanQ.

that's not a 1x 2 that's the dimensions of a finish cut 2 x 3.

A 2 x 4 works perfect just playing down the rough edges

Its actually technical, the details are important. Great post

Not talons -those are raptors. Chickens have claws.

i like your nesting boxes too

Oh GOSH YOU HAVE A BIG BRAHMA.👏👏👏😍

Thanks for all the great ideas. I have a question, I have a rooster that showed up a few years ago. He lives in my yard during the day and the tree at night. He was chased out of the tree a few weeks ago and ran off. Yesterday he returned but is looking for a safe place to roost. What do you suggest to create do give him a safe place to go at night? Lazy night he slept in a tree with very little branch support and no shelter. All our trees happen to be trimmed back as well. He is afraid to return to the tree he was chased out of and that is the only one we left untrimmed. So, thank you in advance for anyone with suggestions.

That is hysterical. Best video ever

Woodglut has a very large project base.

Nesting boxes should be lower than roosts

That's your big roost?.......

You need more and bigger permanent buildings.

I used banister stock for my roosts.

My understanding is 45° angle of boards vertically running into the ground. The first board 3 ft from the ground vertically then the rest of the boards one foot apart. This gives the angle you need for the feet and a tail Length space between chickens. As you explained the first board being 3 feet up makes it to where they fly to get to the first Roost so that they feel comfortable and safe

That is not a 1 x 2 it is a 2 x 3

I'd put the laying boxes below the roosts--maybe a ft. from the ground. That way, they don't sleep in them and cause mess. Not under the roosts of course....

All our birds crowd together on the one roost leaving a ton of extra room on the other roosts. So that 10"+ thing is bullshit.

I disagree. I have 8 chicken coops. 100 ft long There are 6 tears on every roost wall. And every roost run is full from top to bottom. Yes there is a pecking order. But once that order is established they all don't try to go to the top. That's speaking from 45 years of keeping birds and selling eggs. 🤗