Most chickens are more comfortable to sleep on a roost rather than the floor. As young chicks, they stay on the floor, but soon start looking for a place to jump to or roost. We recommend for chicks to set up some poles about 12 inches off the floor and periodically raise the poles after all the chicks have mastered that height. Depending on the breed, at 8 months of age, you can keep the pole height about 4-7 feet high. 1-2 inch diameter round poles work good and you can use PVC or wooded poles depending on bantams or standard sizes. Metal poles are not good (metal conducts the cold too much in winter). Some chicken types do not like to roost like the Silkie. Most chickens roost and a roost pole should be available for your chickens.