Chicken coop advice :)

[Jennamr]

They will go down a ramp but it can't be nearly as steep as that ladder. Down is harder on a chicken than up. In fact most any Large Fowl can fly up onto a 4' high roost. If you ran a ramp, hinged on the side wall, along the front of the tray to the floor, they will likely use it to get at least part way down and possibly at least half way up. Hinged so you can lift it for floor maintenance. They will poop on the ramp because, well, chickens poop any old time including wherever they are walking.

For 5 hens you need no more than 2 nest boxes but since they are built, no need to change that. If you move the hanging food and water under the nest boxes, they will be easier for you to access rather than where they are under the tray.

As @Amelia Egghart said, the nest boxes MUST be lower than the roosts. They will sleep as high as they can get (you might find them in the chandelier!) and you don't want them sleeping in the nest boxes. If you do need to lower the nest boxes, you can hang the food and water from the ceiling between the tray and the door wall. That will make it easier for you to fill them. Don't make the bottom of the nest boxes any lower than 18" off the floor or that floor area will become lost to the chickens.

Draft happens when the air blowing in one opening and out the other hits the birds on the roost. You could have to look at that flow to decide if you NEED to swap the windows. That said, I think if it isn't difficult, I would swap them.

Most definitely want to have a 2x4 on the flat or a 3" round rail for a roost. If you make it removable, it will be easier to clean. I find little poop on the round fence rail but there is some on the 2x4.

There really isn't any reason to drop the tray to 18". They WANT to be high when they sleep. The tray doesn't NEED to be any more than about 12" wide, the birds poop when they are on the roost and their butts only stick out so far UNLESS you run parallel roosts, then they should be 18" apart (so the birds can't peck each other) with the tray sticking out 6" or so past the roosts. Any roost parallel to a wall should be 12" from it.

I have found that with my girls a "wall seat" is preferred. You could run roosts out from the long wall for more "wall seats" but they will have to be supported on the outer edge which might make "poop sifting" a bit more difficult. You might be able to angle brace each one in the same manner as the tray is supported. That would make sifting easier.

Thanks for all the advice, so helpful! I attached a better view of the roost area, i have them sticking out from the wall (the branch i added below, as i read some prefer that so i thought id try it)..currently have 2x2 so i will upgrade to a 2x4 when they get a bit bigger and see about making it removable, that is a good idea! Havent had to clean the coop out fully but loving every idea that will make it easier when i do!

Roosts are definitely higher than the nesting boxes (haha i cant wait to see if they sleep on the chandelier!) going to take your advice and build a ramp tonight, put the roosts at that height so i could clean the box easier, but didnt realise it would make it too hard for them! Not 100 percent sure i understand the wall seat, but going to try one coming out from the wall tonight as well! Also like the idea of the food and water bowls moving to under nesting boxes, just need to confirm if they would have to be supported for the weight

 

[Jennamr]

Don't think that is too much for winter, even with the windows being "open-able"?

I guess that depends on wether or not the roost gets a draft. My winters will drop into the teens here and there, since the girls went out as two day olds in April there were a few days in the 20's. Open air coops are used in Wisconsin and Canada. I think the key is no drafts on the roost, I would put up some sort of dividing wall/curtain up IN the coop if drafts were an issue. Ventilation is more important than trying to trap in heat, when you trap heat you trap moisture which settles on the birds combs causing frostbite.

Gary[/QUOTE]

Yep knew about the ventilation as opposed to insulation to prevent frostbite, but has been definitely difficult to narrow down specifics on what is required in that regard! I am definitely going to take your advice on the upper vents and just open them right up and put hardware mesh...and i am wondering if that might just be enough that the windows could close in the winter and eliminate any draft issue altogether...going to trial by error.. good thing is, hubby and i are both handy, so if we need to adjust, we can!

 

[TalkALittle]

I'd probably swap the windows or just make them both operable. I'd also look at beefing up your roost. Switch to a single 2x4 and change the orientation of it so it runs the full length of the poop tray. This will move birds further from the wall and allow more of them to huddle together for warmth in winter or spread out farther in summer. Plus it lets the poop fall in a single line the middle of the tray for easy scooping.

 

[Jennamr]

I'd probably swap the windows or just make them both operable. I'd also look at beefing up your roost. Switch to a single 2x4 and change the orientation of it so it runs the full length of the poop tray. This will move birds further from the wall and allow more of them to huddle together for warmth in winter or spread out farther in summer. Plus it lets the poop fall in a single line the middle of the tray for easy scooping.

Yep! After watching them in the coop and reading some of the other advice on here, the first things i am going to do are: change the whole roost set up (1 or two bars running the length as you mentioned - might do two, in case i come down with a case of this 'chicken math' ive been reading about ) and put a longer less steep ramp in place of the ladder I think making the second window operable makes a whole lot of sense, so as soon as i can get another 'change order' out of my fiance that is the plan! Hopefully with that and the larger vents being added above the windows i can ensure appropriate ventilation without drafts! Who knew chicken coops were so tricky

 

[bruceha2000]

Wall seat - meaning they like to have one side against a wall My coop is a converted horse stall so there are no walls on an exterior barn wall. In fact, the only solid wall at roost height (4') in the coop is the back wall


The box in the last picture is the broody buster on a shelf built to hold it. Prior to that it sucked up space on the parallel roosts. Winter before last I put it in the next stall over since my girls (knock on wood) don't go broody in the winter. The shelf is about 4' long with a horizontal support in the center.

Guess where MOST of the birds roost now? Yep, on that shelf. Since the shelf was made with 2x4 on edge, I added another 2x4 on edge to each of the 3 that project from the wall for better foot support. There are 11 large fowl hens. Those that can't fit on the shelf mostly choose a "seat" next to the hardware cloth covered wall at either end of the parallel roosts. Zorra and the 7 "babies" (now 9 weeks old) are roosting on the right side (first picture).

I would NOT open the window at the end of the tray. That would almost guarantee a draft over the birds. The "open air" AKA Woods style coop are specifically built. You would need to look it up but in short there are no open windows anywhere near the roosts (which are at the back of the coop) and the entire front (above a "pony wall") is open, covered with hardware cloth. There are no covers for that front wall. Since there are NO other openings, no air will blow into the coop. In the summer the top windows can be opened to let hot air out by convection. The roosts are BEHIND the people door. This is @JackE's coop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/woods-style-house-in-the-winter.445004/

 

[L2fly]

They will sleep as high as they can get (you might find them in the chandelier!) and you don't want them sleeping in the nest boxes.

A-men to this! I peeked in one night and found one of my three girls roosting OVER the roost, ON THE WALL!

 

[bruceha2000]