buff orpingtons, roost and poop board queations

[gagesgramps]

i've read here that the roost for buff orpingtons should only be 2 feet high because of bumble foot. that really doesn't leave much room for a poop board. and if i did put in a poop board it would eliminate quite a bit of floor space. appreciate any thoughts and words of wisdom. new to chickens.
thanks for your time, gages gramps

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people worry about things needlessly. This is one of those.

Put your roosts as low as you reasonably can yet higher than anything you don’t want them roosting on or in, like nests. Chickens normally like to sleep in the highest place they can. Since they poop a lot at night, you don’t want them sleeping in your nests.

What I suggest is that you first position your nests, then put the roosts about a foot higher than that so they can clearly see the difference in elevation.

Bumblefoot is when a cut on the foot gets infected. That’s going to come from them scratching something sharp, not jumping down from the roosts. Some people worry about big birds spraining a leg or something when jumping down, BIG birds, like Jersey Giants. Orpingtons aren’t that huge. Still make the roost as low as you reasonably can. That’s just a reasonable precaution, not something to obsess about.

 

[kateseidel]

I must not have gotten that memo....

My roosts start at about 3 feet, and them go up 12" in height. My highest roost is at about 5 1/2 feet, and before I blocked them off, my Orpingtons preferred to roost in the rafters. If you want your roosts higher, and are worried, put a little ramp or ladder for them to hop up. To be fair, my coop is 12' long, so they do have a nice long area to jump down. They typically prefer to take the ladder down, though,