Lower Roosting Solutions for Older/Heavier/Injured Chickens?

[AnnPann]

I'm currently building a new coop. One item I haven't figured out is best way to build in a lower roosting bar for any older/heavier hens, and specifically one that has a permanent wing injury from a fox attack. She can walk up a ramp just fine, as long as it's a ramp, not an open ladder, but jumping too far up onto a perch or roost is not something she can manage now, and I doubt ever. She comfortable stepping up, but not jumping. She's a very large Barred Rock, so I also worry about her jumping too far to the ground and injuring a leg/foot since she can't use one of her wings for balance or to soften the landing. But she's my favorite, so she gets special accommodations for as long as she needs them.

Our current coop is an Omlet Cube, so once she's up the ramp, she doesn't need to go any higher to roost in the coop.

The new coop will be about 3' off the ground already, and I have the ramp figured out (based on what she's comfortable using now). Once inside the new coop, she and probably her best buddy, an older Orpington, will need a place to roost and I'm looking for ideas. Because I know you all will ask, the coop will be 12' wide by 3' deep by 4' tall. The primary roosting bar will run about 75% of the way across the width of the coop. I don't have photos as it's not built yet, but I'm really just looking for inspiration based on what others have done.

What have you all done that's worked well for accommodating roosting/perching of older/heavier/injured chickens? Any failed ideas that I should avoid?

 

[DobieLover]

I just have a ramp up to poop boards and perches over the boards. Any bird that chooses can roost on the edge of the poop board framing.
I have several older larger girls that always take the ramp up and down but they roost on the perches.
Why are you making your coop so short? Why so high off the ground?
Why 3' deep when lumber dimensions are in 4' increments?
A taller coop means easier ventilation and better air flow.

 

[NatJ]

Our current coop is an Omlet Cube, so once she's up the ramp, she doesn't need to go any higher to roost in the coop.

You could put a roost just a few inches above the bedding in the new coop.
That would make it similar to what she's already using.

If the bedding might get deeper or shallower, you might want to change the roost height sometimes. If you could run the roost all the way across the coop, from one side to the other, it would be fairly easy to have supports at several heights up the wall (like 2" high, 4" high, 6" high, 8" high, or whatever is appropriate for her abilities and the expected amount of bedding.)

But if you also have higher roosts for other chickens, she might not be happy on a low roost. It's not clear to me how many other chickens will be sharing the coop, and where they will sleep.

 

[AnnPann]

You could put a roost just a few inches above the bedding in the new coop.
That would make it similar to what she's already using.

If the bedding might get deeper or shallower, you might want to change the roost height sometimes. If you could run the roost all the way across the coop, from one side to the other, it would be fairly easy to have supports at several heights up the wall (like 2" high, 4" high, 6" high, 8" high, or whatever is appropriate for her abilities and the expected amount of bedding.)

But if you also have higher roosts for other chickens, she might not be happy on a low roost. It's not clear to me how many other chickens will be sharing the coop, and where they will sleep.

I can run the roost most of the way, but not all the way, as it would block the nesting box access which is on the side. If the roost went all the way, they wouldn't be able to access 2 of nesting boxes easily. I like your idea though of having a single stepped roost, which would allow them to choose their height. I think I can work this without having to change too much of the rest of the design.

There will be at a minimum 4, but maybe 7 in this coop, depending on when I get it finished and how much the babies are still being bullied. :/