Perches: round, flat, upright, branches, 2x4s...There are so many opinions on the "perfect perch" for chickens. Over the past few years I've discovered, in most cases, it just doesn't matter.
I think the type of perch we often provide is really what we, in our minds, think we'd be most comfortable with. When I got my first coop and girls, after reading and reading and reading, I decided to go with the wide, flat side of a 2x4. It made sense. Flat is "safe", easy to steady yourself on, and in the cold months the chickens belly feathers cover, and keep cozy, those little feet.
But guess what. Their favorite spot to compete for is the top of the inside door - which is a 2x4 up on edge, meaning they perch on the short side!
This Spring we rebuilt their roosting area. I had the brilliant idea to make their perches upright, on the short side of the 2x4s. They like the top of the door so it must be a comfy width, right?
They quickly got used to the new perches. The first night, though, I left the red lamp on all night so they could see where they were and not forget that their surface wasn't wide anymore - falling is not cool!
They're fine with the new roosts but, really, I'm not. I was much happier with the wider, flat surface. I'm considering making more changes. Maybe it wasn't the width of the top of the door they liked - maybe it was more so the height? Yet, they leisurely perch on thin boards and branches outside of the coop.....
See what I mean? I'm not convinced it matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment