What is in a perch?

Good Afternoon Permies!

Lets talk coop perches. What have you found works the best for you?

Base Materials? Coatings? Removeable?

I am currently setting up some 2x4s to be perches in a coop I am building and am rolling around in my head how I want to do it.

Currently I am treating the boards with boiled linseed oil but perhaps it might be an idea to wrap the boards in some scrap linoleum to make it easier to clean?

What do you find that works for you?

Chickens definitely like a wooden perch - please don't cover it with slippery linoleum!

A "2x4" from the shops will actually be closer to a 1 1/2 x 3 1/2" board. I carefully slice off another 1/2" from the wide dimension, round the edges with a router (a draw knife would do the job) so I end up with the top being 3" wide, and the board still the 1 1/2" thick. I have full size chickens, and everything I read suggested they like to be able to "sit" on the board and cover their feet if it's cold weather.

I have a friend who collects used veggie oil for biodiesel. Occasionally he gets a jug that's essentially new canola oil in with the pick-ups, so I use it with a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil in it. I've been told the oil will smother any mite eggs, and it does seem to make it a little easier to clean and in our climate, it seems to preserve the wood a little. We're *very* dry in the summer, and *very* wet in the winter - it's amazing how much an ~10 ft board will expand and contract under those conditions!

Why I vote for perches that are easy to remove:
1. I can include adjustability for the "expansion/contraction" mentioned above.
2. It's easier to thoroughly clean the shelter if the perches aren't in the way.
3. Sometimes Hubby gets industrial meat chicks, and they get heavy so fast that if they start trying to perch, they may break a leg trying to get down. It's safer and easier to care for them if the perches just aren't there.
4. I've been told that if you get baby chicks, it's better not to have a perch... hmmm... We normally get Hubby's industrial birds as POL (Point of Lay) because we don't have good infrastructure for a lot of chicks. However, occasionally we have a hen go broody. Mrs. Coop and Mrs. Cooper are co-parenting in the "Coop Run" (attached to an old coop used as a meat chick brooder - poorly designed by former owners of the land). This area has occasionally been pressed into service as over-flow housing or rehab housing, so I put a small perch in it at some point. It uses a tree trunk from a tree that didn't make it, so round and about 2 1/2" diameter. Not easy to remove, so I didn't bother. Last night I was running late to get ducks away and I'd picked a little kale for the chicks. Mrs Cooper was up on the perch, with 5 little heads poking out from under her wings and fluff - they exploded out from her like pop-corn when they saw me with the treat. I wonder how long it took her to get them all settled back again?  They hatched Aug 4th, so they're exactly one month old today. It's amazing the difference having a real mom makes!
5. Lastly, if you've had a serious infestation of something nasty, the sun make a great, non-toxic disinfectant.


(You know you're raising *real* chickens when they consider kale leaves "a treat" - they devoured it!)

I use an odd assortment of things and my flock tends to go where they will within my yard.
I have "official roosts" made out of 1.5" PVC pipe with an inner core of some electrical conduit I had around. Neither is considered a good idea for chickens, but the PVC is easy to clean and they like it. I roughed it up with some sandpaper when I first installed it (each roosting bar is about 9 feet long and they are at the same level with an old landscape timber braced along the front one as a ladder of sorts). I have 4 or 5 bars, all inside a usually tarp covered shelter. The PVC was very slippery when I first put it out and it took some time to make it safer for my flock. I like it because of the ease of cleaning, but don't recommend it. It was fast and cheap and works. I'll use it until I can replace it with something better, hopefully in the spring, but that will depend on how the winter goes.

I use rounded square 1.5" roosts in the "nesting area". They also serve as supports for the A-framed shelter. Multiple function for anything makes me happy.

My chickens will roost in the trees - they seem to prefer the Live Oak right outside the kitchen and tend to be pretty close to the trunk along a branch that's a good 5 inches across the top - it's a main branch that needs pruning, but I get about 5 birds that will settle there at night. I'm planning to keep as much of it, and it's sheltering/covering branches as possible.
I have a few birds that roost in the Mulberry that's right across from the Live Oak. They seem to like being on the outside branches, swaying in the breezes near the top of the tree. Those birds will sometimes roost along the ridgeline of the A-framed nesting area.

I have a few birds that seem to prefer flat surfaces and will roost on the back porch. They will sit on the porch itself, or roost next to the house on the railing top, a flat board about 3 inches across. They will also sleep on top of some older dog crate shells I have out to serve as small shelters for them in case of weather. Those tend to be the birds that have toe damage from frostbite or an accident and I'm sure the broad flat surfaces are much more comfortable than trying to hold onto something.

Basically, I provide everything from natural tree branches (and piles of cut branches and such) to milled lumber to flat hard plastic and rounded hard plastic. I have birds that use all of it. I would like to, eventually, replace the PVC with wood. I think a flat surface, rounded corners, about 3 inches across would work well for my birds, but I have some that do fine with smaller and larger. I would probably use a whitewash or preservative oil treatment to help keep parasites and irritations at bay.

I do provide some perches for my chicks when I brood them myself. I use wooden "towel bar" sets that are a triangular piece of wood on each end as a support with a dowel between. I can clean them easily and they come apart for storage. The chicks enjoy them, but I wouldn't use anything over a certain height for the large "meat bird" chicks. It would potentially cause problems with their feet and legs. My dual purpose birds seem fine with a perch that lets them get 3 inches off their surface and they can practice perching.

A system that lets you clean and remove the perches is best. Linoleum will be too slippery, like the PVC was until I sanded it down. Sanding the linoleum would be counter productive as you'd be removing one of the reasons you chose it (no little scratches for things to hide).
I do recommend wood. Rounded corners, but a little less than the chicken's foot across so their toes can wrap around, but not so small they can't cover their toes with feathers when they roost. Flat surfaces work well, but they poop on those and it needs cleaning more often. It's a fine balance between enough space to sit comfortably and not too much space for pooping on. Then there's providing enough space between roosting bars that everyone can fit comfortably.
It's a hard problem and there are as many different answers to the problem as there are chicken keepers. Wood, with a preservative, tends to be best. Metal is right out as it conducts temperature too easily. PVC is slippery but non-conductive. You'll find an answer to something that's within your range for what your birds need to be happy and healthy, and what's the best for price range and space.

Hi Timothy,
It is not a bad thing to have a few different sizes for the chickens to choose from. You might get a better idea of what they prefer. A leghorn and a Brahma are going to prefer very different sizes of perches. As has been mentioned, it needs to be big enough so they can cover their toes, but small enough that they can lock their feet properly while sleeping.

I can't say that I recommend this, but what I have done is to use bare wood and simply replace when it gets too dirty or starts to rot. Wood has an inherent ability to discourage the growth of bacteria. Putting a coating on the wood can help with cleaning and longevity, but also stops this ability to discourage bacteria. Personally I would prefer to pop off a couple screws and put in a new piece, but it all comes down to where you want to put the effort and money.

We have not raised chickens in a while now but what I remember is using small saplings and especially sassafras as it holds it's bark well (an excellent choice for broom handles also )
I think it's likely we used old nails to attach or possibly baling twine? Back in the day things were quite basic and we were very frugal.

This is really good information guys! I did not consider the corners being sanded so I have some more work ahead of me. I plan on treating the wood lightly with linseed and getting a paint scraper to give a swipe when its needed to 'clean' the perches.

I have 9 chicks due to arrive next week, I'm fluttering around trying to get everything ready! I have a mixture of sizes so I'll be giving the perches a good looking at.

Chickens will try to perch on anything, even the thin wall of a box. But I feel the perch should be rounded. Would you like odd corners in your chair?

A perch is perfect for letting the poop fall down where you can easily collect it.

There is a huge brouhaha every evening when they settle. I always wonder, why do they spend so much time deciding who perches where 😄. They try one spot, then jump down, push somebody sitting on "better" perch until she jumps down... Just hilarious.

I had a rooster who decided to sleep on the hay bed of the upper floor while the ladies roughed it downstairs. I knew he had built a herd when he started sleeping with the hens!

I did all kinds of research, and worried over this very question.  In the end I would say for the most part chickens are very adaptable. You built it, and they will use it, or not.  
I have 19 chickens.  I have 2 2x4s with 2 holes on each end suspended from the roof with wire. Higher than the nesting boxes because I read if it was higher the chickens would sleep on the roosting bar instead of in the nesting boxes. Unfortunately some of my hens didn't read the rule book, and still sleep in the nesting boxes.  The 2x4 has the wide side parallel with the ground.  They sleep laying in there feet, not standing, and seem pretty comfortable.  I painted the bar with exterior paint.  I try not to use that kind of crud for the most part, but I wanted to preserve the wood so it would last longer, and I wanted to be able to clean it.
Also browsing the Internet got me worried my roosting bars were to high, and may cause them to hurt their feet.  I built a  two step roosting bar so they can sleep on it, or use it to get on and off the higher ones.  
In the summer they spread out, and use all of the above, and in the winter they tend to huddle on the tall bars.
When I have chicks when they get into the teenage time where they are getting feathers I will jam a thin branch in the corner not to far above the ground. As they get bigger I raise the branch.
I'm sure what ever y decide to do will be great.good luck.

Historically we always used big willow sticks(1 1/2 inch to 2 inch size)  Occasionally small lodge pole pine same size.  Usually left the bark on and it wore away over time.

I didn't notice the forum that this thread was in and immediately thought of the measurement - 160 perches in an acre

Out of necessity, I had to quickly improvise a shelter for my herd as chicken house construction became like a badly written Bollywood movie where everything goes spectacularly wrong and temperatures become freezing.I just crabbed the closest fallen branches from my forest. And surprisingly, they are perfect.If I had agonised over the perfect size and form and ruminated about their placement, I could not have done better.

I don't read about chicken stuff elsewhere on the Internet much, but I do recall running across some discussion on the matter where there had apparently been a knock down, drag out fight over what is best. Some maintained that a round pole was more natural (and therefore better) and that square 2x2s were cruel because the corners would hurt their feet. The square pole crowd argued that scientific research proved that the square pole was easier and less fatiguing to grip and therefore the round poles were crueler. People can argue about anything.

I've seen roost poles decades old that looked like they had decades left in them that had no special consideration whatsoever. They were usually whatever was at hand the moment they were needed. As long as they are in the dry, they should be fine. If out in the weather, then that would be different. I see no need for any coatings or treatments.

Jordan Holland wrote: I see no need for any coatings or treatments.

Our birds occasionally pick up mites from wild birds. I find that every year or so, a coating of veggie oil with a few drops of tea tree oil (like 4 drops for every 400ml of oil) seems to discourage the mites. But it could be my imagination as I haven't done a comparison. It happens so inconsistently, that comparing our different flocks wouldn't even tell me much.

The nice thing about just using poles from the forest is that if they do deteriorate, they go into a hugelmound and get replaced from the forest.

Jordan Holland wrote:I don't read about chicken stuff elsewhere on the Internet much, but I do recall running across some discussion on the matter where there had apparently been a knock down, drag out fight over what is best. Some maintained that a round pole was more natural (and therefore better) and that square 2x2s were cruel because the corners would hurt their feet. The square pole crowd argued that scientific research proved that the square pole was easier and less fatiguing to grip and therefore the round poles were crueler. People can argue about anything.

I've seen roost poles decades old that looked like they had decades left in them that had no special consideration whatsoever. They were usually whatever was at hand the moment they were needed. As long as they are in the dry, they should be fine. If out in the weather, then that would be different. I see no need for any coatings or treatments.

The funny thing is how easy it is to prove.  Put one of each up and see what the chickens prefer over a few month.  Then trade their location and see if the birds move over time.  Chickens should easily be able to demonstrate their preference.

C. Letellier wrote:

Jordan Holland wrote:I don't read about chicken stuff elsewhere on the Internet much, but I do recall running across some discussion on the matter where there had apparently been a knock down, drag out fight over what is best. Some maintained that a round pole was more natural (and therefore better) and that square 2x2s were cruel because the corners would hurt their feet. The square pole crowd argued that scientific research proved that the square pole was easier and less fatiguing to grip and therefore the round poles were crueler. People can argue about anything.

The funny thing is how easy it is to prove.  Put one of each up and see what the chickens prefer over a few month.  Then trade their location and see if the birds move over time.  Chickens should easily be able to demonstrate their preference.

After playing with chickens for a few decades, I feel fairly confident saying that an experiment like that would only tell you how that particular group of chickens thought about any Either/Or choice offered. My neighbor's birds might have a different opinion, as might my flock 5 years back or 5 years from now.
All we can do is the best we can do. Humans will argue about ANYTHING. There's no need to argue about roosting perches. Every situation is different and every chicken has an opinion.

Kristine Keeney wrote: Every situation is different and every chicken has an opinion.

And they're very willing to argue with their neighbor over a specific 9" of perch space!

I have decided to add a few additional roosting bars both in the chicken coop and in the chicken's run.

I'm finding that putting logs in the run for perching space have ended up with them degrading rather fast and getting covered in all sorts of debris/manure. I'm installing some corner perches in hopes of giving more options and taking advantage of vertical space.

Is there a 'right' amount of perching space per bird or the more the merrier?

Timothy Norton wrote: Is there a 'right' amount of perching space per bird or the more the merrier?

The higher a perch is, the more in demand it is for whoever is at the top of the pecking order. That may mean that if a high perch is too short, there will be more squabbling and possibly more chance for injury.

The 9" per bird is the usually quoted minimum. If you're adding higher up, I would try to have enough at that height to accommodate a good chunk of the flock.

The chickens either need enough distance to glide down from a high perch, or lots of intermediary steps to get down from up high or they may also end up with foot injuries.

Veggie oil on the perches may help them last better, and making them easy to remove for cleaning may also help. However, if multiple perches are too close together, the chickens may poop onto the next lower perch which is not good.

Perches of different diameters would exercise feet also.

Do you strictly want perches for night use, or also for entertainment? I hang my feeders above the perches to help keep rats out of them. That doesn't work when I have ducks and chickens cohabitating - bloody ducks don't perch!

Troubleshooting question for those who know better.

I have added two new perching spaces in the run and used the far corners to conveniently place the board on the existing supports. The issue is that they are almost hip high and I don't have much below to allow the bigger chickens to hop up.

How much space difference between different perch tiers is the best to utilize? Is there a range?

My little bantam can get up their, as well as some easter eggers, but not my brahma forsure.

I've observed a lot of birds just fly down and don't use the lower perches if they don't have to. However, they can hurt their feet if there isn't enough shock-absorbing bedding to land on.

However, if you want birds to use a lower perch that's near a higher perch, there needs to be a wide enough gap - 18" min is what my memory is saying - that the upper perch girls aren't pooping on the lower perch girls.

Personally, I try to keep my perches under 2'2" (66cm) off the ground because I can step over that just barely.

I really like Jay's post: it's obvious he has thoroughly  researched the situation.
I will cover my perches from now on with ...something. I really liked the idea of putting on something that might smother the mites as I just started finding some of my girls with something that's irritating them. I don't see mites but some have their behinds entirely featherless and I don't think they are molting.
There isn't much to add except, perhaps tilting the 2"X4" almost 45 degrees: It gives the boards a bit more strength, and that's useful when you have quite a few full sized chickens on it.
I also noticed something: When the board is so tilted, their toes grab the top edge and you can absolutely predict where the poop will fall, which is super handy if like me you choose to capture the precious poop with a poop board and save the litter[ they do an enormous amount of pooping at night, from their perches.
Another plus is on that one one board, they will usually all face the same way, and that seems to lower the number of squabbles at bed time,[although they will still find a reason, but it's an improvement].

Jay Angler wrote:I've observed a lot of birds just fly down and don't use the lower perches if they don't have to. However, they can hurt their feet if there isn't enough shock-absorbing bedding to land on.
However, if you want birds to use a lower perch that's near a higher perch, there needs to be a wide enough gap - 18" min is what my memory is saying - that the upper perch girls aren't pooping on the lower perch girls.

Yep: They need to spike the landing without getting hurt. They can jump straight up 5 ft, but when they clear their litter by scratching to the floor, I hate the thud they make.
The poop board I mentioned in another post is the way I solved the pooping on their friends below: The poop board of the higher perch protects the girls on the lower one, and that allowed me to have their perches pretty much on top of one another: That gives them a longer "landing strip" if you will. The whole width of the perches is 4ft. They are still built somewhat like steps so they can jump up on the 4ft high perch, and then up 2 more feet on the 6 ft. high perch. With 33 birds, I clean once a week and get close to 2 homer buckets. This way, I don't have to change the litter all winter [November-April], usually. [I do open the door to their yard every day in the winter, so they can do *some* pooping outside.] But it sure saves me a lot of work and $$$

My cornish cross have a couple of big half logs that have rough bark on.  Stollen from hubby's wood pile.  I scrub them off 1x a day.  I think if I were a chicken I'd like these.  They do enjoy perching on them and nice and wide for their fat bodies to balance on but not high enough to hurt themselves.

One thing I heard was that branches are better than uniform sizes of dimension lumber and dowels is that varying diameters support feet health more flexibility and range of motion …

Ever since that has been my preference.  But I think logs with bark would provide the same benefits.  If anyone knows a chicken podiatrist we could get a professional opinion🤣.

In answer to some of the questions:
While 9 inches is something you do see, I have experimented; my flock seems to like a solid 12 inches per bird. Sometimes they'll all pack together to save heat, but they like to have the space to sit apart. More space is never a bad thing.

I've seen a "2-foot rule" being mentioned in perch spacing. The perches need to start at least 2 feet from the ground, and have rungs spaced about 2 feet apart if you're making a ladder-type perch, or a 2-foot space between perches to allow the birds a chance to sit without their heads in someone else's tail.
You could probably get away with less space between perches if your birds are smaller than the average full-sized chicken, but 2 feet seems reasonable for my flock.

It's also suggested that you stop perches somewhere below 2 feet of the top of your shelter, too.
I have made perches that were too close to the wire. My poor cockerels, who tried to roost there, just looked sad, all hunched over trying to avoid smushing their feathers and combs into the top of their shelter.

The 2-foot rule, or its equivalent in meters - .61meters, is a good one, even if it's very generic.

Thekla McDaniels wrote:One thing I heard was that branches are better than uniform sizes of dimension lumber and dowels is that varying diameters support feet health more flexibility and range of motion …

Ever since that has been my preference.  But I think logs with bark would provide the same benefits.  If anyone knows a chicken podiatrist we could get a professional opinion🤣.

I've been using natural branches and small trees as roosting material and the birds love it.

I noticed that given the choice between 1.5 inch PVC and branches that were at least 2 inches across, they prefer the branches. As I do not debark any of the wood I'm using for roost/perches, I haven't compared barked vs. debarked wood other than who might be in the A-frame that uses milled lumber as perches.

I've started replacing a lot of my old perches and roosting areas with natural branches hung from the top of the shelter. The flock very quickly learned to maneuver around the hanging wires. My spare cockerels enjoyed their hanging natural branches so much that they packed onto one of them and bent the metal arch support that partially held it up. Apparently, that pipe was not enough to hold approximately 70 pounds of chicken!

Kristine Keeney wrote:In answer to some of the questions:
While 9 inches is something you do see, I have experimented; my flock seems to like a solid 12 inches per bird. Sometimes they'll all pack together to save heat, but they like to have the space to sit apart. More space is never a bad thing.

I've seen a "2-foot rule" being mentioned in perch spacing. The perches need to start at least 2 feet from the ground, and have rungs spaced about 2 feet apart if you're making a ladder-type perch, or a 2-foot space between perches to allow the birds a chance to sit without their heads in someone else's tail.
You could probably get away with less space between perches if your birds are smaller than the average full-sized chicken, but 2 feet seems reasonable for my flock.

It's also suggested that you stop perches somewhere below 2 feet of the top of your shelter, too.
I have made perches that were too close to the wire. My poor cockerels, who tried to roost there, just looked sad, all hunched over trying to avoid smushing their feathers and combs into the top of their shelter.

The 2-foot rule, or its equivalent in meters - .61meters, is a good one, even if it's very generic.

Indeed: 2ft from the ground is best: the young ones can jump up this height and you want them roosting, which is their normal inclination, as soon as possible. I have 2 perches at that level, then 4 perches, then 4 perches on a 3rd level.
I also totally agree on having enough room for each bird on the same perch: yep, they are cosy in the winter, but when the heat is suffocating, they need their space or they may start pecking at each other.
On what the perch is made of:  anything of a size that will conform to their feet so they can grip it comfortably and regular enough that they don't have one foot higher than the other all night, so nice and level.
PVC is nice and regular, but round and slippery: I have PVC bars in front of the laying boxes so they can jump up and see if the nest is occupied but not so cozy that they spend the night there (or they may poop in the nest boxes as a couple of them are inclined to do anyway!). Branches would be more natural but it's hard to find the right size and length that will be solid enough, straight enough and not too knobby so you can work with it.
I have settled on 2X4s on a 45 degree slant: They hook their feet on the upper edge, which means that the poop will fall in a predictable location, and since I use poop boards, it makes harvesting the poop a lot easier. I have 8 ft perches screwed on a strong stand alone frame in the middle of the coop so I can go all around.  I have 8 perches, 8ft each  on 3 levels for a total for 40 birds. Using poop board under the perches has the added advantage that because you can harvest the poop (like once a week for 40 birds), the floor litter remains clean and fresh  pretty much all winter.
The floor litter gets more dusty than dirty and when so, when I get rid of it, it is still fluffy enough that I can use it as mulch in the garden or around trees.
The happiness and comfort of the girls is always my first consideration: When they are happy, I'm happy. Even in the middle of winter and without light, they keep laying like crazy. I have 5 roos, (which is too many and I plan to dispatch 2 or 3 of them). Most days, I get 30-34 eggs, which is pretty good.
They are a mix of Cuckoo Marans and Rhode Island Reds which I incubated, so 2 good laying breeds mixed.