sn0wwhite's Wichita Coop for the Twin Cities

[waltandlori]

Thanks, Walt!

How far are your roosts from the wall? It almost seems like when I put them up there they feel crowded because the one day I had Omelet (our alpha chicken) facing forward, they all hopped down but the day I had her facing the wall she would not turn around and so would not hop down and so they all stayed up there.

I'm going to post a picture of the wall opposite the window next. The window is framed with 2x4s so attaching a roost on that side is no problem, but the opposite wall is about a 5 foot stretch of the 1" shiplap boards and I can bow it ever so slightly if I push on it. I'm going to need to figure a way to attach the roost to that side if I move it... Do I just put up another 2x4 post from the floor to the ceiling?

I just made a thing like they use for jumping horses. It is free standing so it is moveable if you look at it from the side it looks like an "L". There are 2x4's standing upright and 2x2's at 2' and on top at 4.5'. When I go in at night for headcount some are facing the back wall some facing me. It is about 2' from the back wall. I;m messing with their heads today I switched their nests around. Yesterday I went out and there were 4 eggs in the same nest the other has not been used since I put in fresh hay, so I switched them, I want to see if they lay in the same location. They do seem to crowd to the northern end of the roost and lay in the northern most nest. Trust me they will figure it out. This morning they all were still up top "sleeping in", most days some at least are on the floor. I have 3 beehives (1st year). 4 pygmy goats, 8 layers, 25 CX meat birds, not to mention the cat, 2 dogs(small), and 2 parrots I have learned that my "critters" know better than I do, what they need, and if you pay attention they will tell you.

Walt

PS afterthought... you could cut a 1x2,3,or4 whatever or a scrap 2x4 cut a notch in it the size of your perch and screw it to the inside wall. That would be like a closet pole, you would have to cut the perch exact length +-1/4".

 

[waltandlori]

What if the nest boxes run east and west??

Don't know, they just seem for some reason to like northern MOST. A number of people have noted this, BTW I was not the first, but when it was mentioned..... Hmmmm! Mine do not run N-S more like NE-SW. It just they hit that end of the roost and that particular nest. In winter that would seem to be the colder side but...

Walt
Just and observation. If yours sleep on the roof that's where they want to be...

 

[sn0wwhite]

Thanks, Bog, Aart, & Walt...

I will add a roost under the window, and I think notching a leftover piece of 2x4 and screwing it to the wall should work. I went back though and looked at this picture from this link.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/boisemarkers-chicken-coop

And I remembered that what I wanted to do here especially was to have a poop board because I like to keep the coop clean and the builder of this version said it worked really well. But now I see that he had both roosts, so maybe rather than remove my back wall ones I'll add the one more forward of that and under the window and see if maybe with the added roost that will help them to hop up to the other roost. If they don't, well, at least they'll still have a roost and maybe I can just move my poop board to the floor and hope to catch most of the poop and not have them scratch too much wood into it and too much PDZ out of it.

 

[sn0wwhite]

So I decided to ditch work and add the second roost. Using a scrap piece of 2x4 on its side to hold it worked great! We'll see how they feel about it tonight.

 

[chickiegrrl]

Looks great! Maybe they can hop up to the lower roost and then pop onto the higher one!

 

[Sam3 Abq]

That's it ! Lower roost to start - move on up if needed.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

. I love it how those chickens become priority #1. "Work can wait." happens way to much with my chickening, too. LOL. Those roosts look great....and I meant to say that I love the idea and the etching that you did with your windows. So Very creative and unique.

It's a one of a kind Witchita down there in the Twin Cities. Love it, snOw.

 

[waltandlori]

So I decided to ditch work and add the second roost. Using a scrap piece of 2x4 on its side to hold it worked great! We'll see how they feel about it tonight.

What is this thing..... workkk..... eewww! lol Looks great, my money is on the top, betcha find them all up there tomorrow. Looks like I'm not the only one that learned things this summer.

Walt

 

[aart]

Looks good!! More bedding!

 

[sn0wwhite]

Yes, I didn't buy it yet because I was thinking sand.... But looks like I'm going to need it for sure.
So when they went to bed I put two chickens up on the new roost and then Sunny jumped up to join them. Omelet is alone on the floor for now and they are staying on the new roost.