Help! with roost type/placement in a 4x4 coop

sawprops

In the Brooder
Hi all,

I am really overthinking this roost placement issue! My coop is 4x4. My nest boxes (2) are interior 15x12x12 and have been placed 24 inches off the ground based on advice I received. In hind sight, I would have placed them much closer to the ground, but they are in place now.

I have a Barred Rock, Buff Orpington and a Delaware. Although they are only 2 mos. now, I am assuming when they are adult hens they will stand about 15-18 inches tall. I have about 3 inches of ventilation with hardware cloth surrounding the entire top of the coop.

Question: should I put the roost at the same (not lower) height as the nest box because they will need head space and be out of the direct vent draft? That would leave 24 inches of head room. Or, should I do a ladder style with 2 rungs where one rung will clearly be lower than the nest box (about 12 inches from the floor) and one the same height (24 inches from the floor)?

I will take pics and post them.

S.
 
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4 ft tall by 4 ft wide. The nest boxes are up 2 ft. I have to give head room and above the nest only gives me 24 inches to play with. I think adult hens can be as tall as 18 inches, so same height as the box only gives 6 inches head room, and 3 inches of that is ventilation.
 
4 ft tall by 4 ft wide. The nest boxes are up 2 ft. I have to give head room and above the nest only gives me 24 inches to play with. I think adult hens can be as tall as 18 inches, so same height as the box only gives 6 inches head room, and 3 inches of that is ventilation.

usually when people say 4x4 they mean 4 ft wide by 4 ft long and then the third number is the height, but anyway, I would make the roost on the opposite wall and they hunker down they are maybe only 8 or 9 inches tall when sitting on the roost, they don't stand up on it.
 
Its a cube - 4x4x4. I can't put the roost opposite wall as the 2 double doors open there and I can't attach one end. I would have to put it perpendicular or at a diagonal. Or, I could do the ladder on the wall opposite the doors. I know they hunker down lower than they stand, but was concerned for the flight up and wanted to make sure they had head room?

The coop in red/orange is my prototype, except I have 2 doors for easier cleaning and my box and chicken door are on the opposite sides. My coop is the white one. Looks like the prototype is a bit smaller than 4x4 and looks like 4x3. I think the roost will be the same height as the boxes, at best, or a ladder on the back wall but the highest rung will still be almost same height as the boxes. Which do you think is best? The ladder feet would take a little floor space too, but not much.

They are only 2 mos. right now, but eventually I will hang the water under the next box and use a pvc feeder for the food.








 
now that I see the picture, I think the roosts work where they are, you really can't move much around to get them any other way and diagonals are kind of hard to do because there are a couple inches that they don't like because it can get too tight in the corners.
 

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