Addition to coop - new roost 90 degrees off

[Doc7]

My coop is 4x6. I plan to add a 4x4 section to the 6’ side in which I will raise new chicks and integrate them via panic door style hatches etc. eventually I plan to remove the hardware cloth panel between the two so it is one “T” shaped coop, that has two entrances into the run (8x8 with a “panhandle” 3x9 addition being built the same time as the new coop addition).

The new section will have a new roost bar as my current one won’t be long enough for 9 birds. I imagine the chicks will roost in this section on their own for quite some time, even when the panel is removed. Will they continue to use their own roost bar even after full integration to the flock if there isn’t room on the existing 5’ Long one? The new roost bar will be 3-4” lower than the current one (roof height has to be lower in the addition to get under the drip line of the roof) and will be 4’ Long at a 90 degree angle to the 5’ Long roost bar.

To keep the chickens spread out do I need to make the wall cutout for the addition high enough so the chickens can all see each other’s heads on the roost bars? That would entail a floor to ceiling cut in the existing coop instead of just a 2’ by 2’ door, for instance.

I understand chickens are flock animals and want to roost together so I want to make sure I attach the addition in such a way that they utilize all available roosting space.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Basically the chickens will work out where they roost themselves no matter how much we might try to control that. None of us can be sure of exactly what that will be. It just works that way with living animals.

What I would expect to happen is that the new birds will use that lower roost until they mature enough to force their way into the main flock pecking order. With my pullets that's usually about the time they start to lay. With cockerels I have not noticed any consistent pattern. Sometimes some cockerels are on the main roosts fairly young, others are usually eaten before they make that move.

You'll need access to both sides from outside. I don't know if yours is elevated or a walk-in. Think hard about how convenient it will be for you to manage, there is no reason to make your life harder than it has to be if you can plan for something better. I think your chickens are better off if you are comfortable taking care of them.

I don't know how much cut-out you need. If it were me I'd probably cut it all away (taking framing and support lumber into consideration) and use wire in between the two sections.

I don't know what your constraints are with size. I think I understand the roof slope issue. A 4x4 is a convenient size to add since most building materials come in 4' or 8' dimensions in their cheapest form. A 4x4 means less cutting and waste. 4x4 is probably a real food choice for you. If you can, I'd try to widen that 3x9 run section. A 3' wide section doesn't give you much room to work in there. Don't get me wrong, it will be a great addition, but I find wider areas easier on the chickens too. During the planning phase is the best time to make these changes if you can.

Good luck with it, I like your plan.

 

[Doc7]

Thanks.

I have a drawing at home but for now here’s a finger photo shop using a wall and an iPhone

You can see the old coop and new addition as well as the old run and new addition. The new run and old run will be connected by “man sized” (3’ wide by 6 ft tall) doors that also have closeable chick size hatches in them. That way I can have them totally segregated runs and coops, or open hatches for chick integration, or eventually just open the man doors and the chickens can roam the entire size of the run.

The run will be totally enclosed with hardware cloth as the current set up is, pictured here:


3 Ft by 9 ft is chosen because with 60 feet of hardware cloth left over from my first build, I can build that size. I could possibly do 6x6 instead - in fact that would possibly be less hardware cloth, and more square ground footage. I will have to draw that up and do some figurin’ on that after the Christmas family stuff dies down in the next couple of days.