Building a coop... And a flock.

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
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I love the color of your coop!

 

[Jay Turner]

Question: Is there a preferred height to install the roosting bars inside the coop? I had planned to put them high enough so they could walk under them easily. I recently saw someone had them just above the bedding. Just curious as I am about to install them. Thanks.

 

[AllynTal]

Thanks. I am installing 1/2" or 1/4" hardware cloth on EVERYTHING. The Windows, screen door, vents and all. Even the roof vent. And yes, I have a plan to tighten up the door as well. I also plan to install 2 more vents on the gable ends of the coop. I got the sand from a masonry yard so it is not bleached. I plan for the run and coop to be predator proof and still secure them in the coop at night...

Consider burying that hardware cloth about 12 inches around the perimeter to deter burrowing predators.

Re: the sand
I wasn't worried about it being bleached. I'm more concerned with particle size. Playsand or any sand made by crushing rock has too fine a particle size. It'll compact when it gets wet, it could cause crop impaction if (or should I say when) the chickens eat it, and it creates respiratory problems when they dust bathe in it. Coarse sand is small pebbles of various sizes. It won't compact, it won't create a dust that the chickens will inhale, and it won't cause crop impaction.

Scoop up some sand in your hand and wet it. Then close your fist tight as if you were trying to squeeze out the water. Open your hand. If the sand just falls away even though it is wet, it's okay to use. If the sand forms a mass the shape of the inside of your fist and holds the shape in your open hand, it's the wrong sand.

 

[AllynTal]

Question: Is there a preferred height to install the roosting bars inside the coop? I had planned to put them high enough so they could walk under them easily. I recently saw someone had them just above the bedding. Just curious as I am about to install them. Thanks.

Chickens like to be as high up as they can get, but remember that they have to flap their wings to hop up. They need headroom to get up there, and they need room to have their wings extended. I would make the roosts as high as you can manage and still meet the criteria.

 

[Jay Turner]

I do plan on a perimeter fencing about 24" around the coop and run, buried just under the ground.

 

[AllynTal]

... I recently saw someone had them just above the bedding. ....

I don't know specifically what you saw, but I know the little dollhouse coops that folks get from outlets like Tractor Supply are very small. They are barely tall enough for a chicken to stand up in, so the roosts are low, just above the bedding because there is no headroom.

 

[Jay Turner]

I have 6' of head room at the peak in the coop.

 

[AllynTal]

Without going back to look, I think in the first picture you posted, there are eight chickens? Figure about 12 inches of roost per chicken and they are all going to want to be as high as they can so however you can manage at least eight linear feet of roost at the same height inside the coop. The roost will need to be at least 9 inches (preferably more if those are heritage-sized breeds) from the parallel walls so they have room to hunker down. Don't put anything under the roosts that can't get pooped on.

It might be tempting to put a short roost higher in the gable, but the chickens will all try to get up there. If there isn't room, they'll be knocking each other off trying to fit. Some folks put ramps up to the roosts to avoid having them jump up and jump down (they need probably more room for the dismount), but the ramps can't be too steep or the chickens can't navigate them. I use staggered roosts so each hop up onto the roost isn't more than 18 inches tall or the gap 18 inches wide. They can hop up on the low roost, hop up to the intermediate roost and then hop up onto the high roost, which is about 4.5 feet above the floor. In the morning, some will be daring and jump down from the top, but a lot of them will hop down each roost the same way they got up. (I use 2x4s on the flat, so they have stable footing for all this hopping and jumping.)

So the answer is, as high as you can manage within the space of your coop as long as they can all be on the same level as the highest roost and they have room to get up and down.

 

[Jay Turner]

Thank you! That is a lot of good, helpful advice.