Perches

There are several different kinds of perches that can easily be built.  We build all our perches out of white Melamine shelving board.  It comes in either 12" or 16" widths and 8 or 12 foot lengths.  I like the Melamine board because it scrapes easily and can be washed or bleached.  Also if you ever get bad droppings they really stand out as they won't be absorbed into the wood.  Another material I have used with success is "OSB" Board.

These are the perches in our Young Bird loft.  They are 12"X 12"X 12".  But the dividers are only 9" high and are attached to the board above.  Thus creating an air space between each perch for better ventilation.  Also this style is easy to clean as you can make one long pass with the scraper on each shelf or perch.

These are the perches in our Hen Section of our Widowhood Loft.  Each perch is 12"X 12"X 12".  The front of each perch, where the hen sits on is made from a 2X2.  The back of the perch slops down and away on a 45 degree angle.  I think these are commonly referred to as Belgium Perches but don't quote me.  This affords the hens little flat space to perch and keeps them clean.  Also with the sloped melamine board most of the droppings all fall to the floor where they can be all collected at once.  This also saves work for us and scraping time.  Jim and Linda Kjeldsen are using this style in their new Young Bird loft and have doors on the bottom outside of the loft for dropping removal with out needing to go in the loft.   This idea I got from looking at Joe Dvornicky's new loft.

"V" Perches

"V" Perches are probably the easiest of any perch to make and install.  They are most often used in Widowhood Hen's lofts.  "V" perches can be made out of just about any scrap wood you have.  This perch is made out of 7/16" OSB board for the sides and 3/4 plywood for the back.  Start by cutting two pieces about 6X6" and one piece of 3/4" 4X4". Using screws or small nails attach the two sides. Then just screw it to the wall and get a Model to pose.

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