Are you interested in a DIY project for your flock?? What about one where you make your chickens a new perching spot?
Depending on the type of person you are, your perches may be different from someone else’s.
Your imagination can limit the type of wooden perch!
Many people tend to build their own chicken coops with non-treated 2 by 4 pieces of wood placed with a wide side top. 2×4 pieces of wood are fairly straight-edged, so you might not have to sand them as much. This ends up giving the birds a larger area to perch on. Especially with the cold weather during the winter times, this is where they can go to sit over their feet, avoiding something like frostbite.
But if you wish to be more creative, you can use tree branches. Remember they must be sturdy with no sharp points and strong enough to be able to hold serval birds at once. I doubt the birds will take turns on who gets to perch first…
There is another type of perch you could make or buy one. These are called ‘ladders.’ If you thinking of using an old ladder you had around your yard, you have to make sure the rungs are smooth. You could do so with some sandpaper. Why would you do this? If your chicken gets a splinter it can cause what is known as ‘Bumblefoot,’ and that takes a good amount of time to treat and heal.
When creating your ladder, whether it is a large or small one, you will need two ‘uprights’ and several rungs. These rungs will have to be leveled horizontal as the uprights are leaning in their place. These rungs can be placed on the wide side for your large birds or on the narrow side for your smaller birds.
As chickens perch, they tend to poop. Make sure when you are creating your perch design that the steps are about 12 to 20 inches apart, so the birds beneath them do not get pooped on!
Why is this important?
Yes, chickens are domesticated birds, but they still have an instinct in them where they need to roost. Roosting is extremely important for a wild chicken, in the sense that they go up high to remain safe while sleeping.
A quiet, sleeping chicken is an unguarded one. Sleeping on the ground could be dangerous, since when chickens are asleep they are very lethargic and sleepy, which can be an easy target for predators that are passing by. Wild chickens might even roost on tree branches as high as they can to protect themselves from any doom that may happen. Even if your chicken is in no immediate danger, they instinctually would much rather sleep anywhere but on the ground.
