Chicken roosts problem

[gailstpierre]

That's a lot of effort either way. Death to snow!

That's why I moved to Florida. Just have to watch out for the snakes and alligators. HAHA

 

[ChickenDude12345]

They don't need a ladder. They have wings. Mine fly up to the roosts which are about 4 1/2 feet above the floor.

Yeah the ladder was there when I bought the coop so I kept it in there. Now there are 2 x 4 roost is about 2 1/2 feet off the ground

 

[PeterNaomiGray]

You can't have too much roosting space. They'll cluster together when they feel like it. The dowels you're using look about right for the bird size you have. I've tried many roost materials from 2×4s to tree branches - the best all around for comfort, foot health, etc. seems to be 2×2 stock with corners rounded off to 1/2" radius. If you don't have a router table to do that, you should be able to find someone to do it cheaply.

 

[PeterNaomiGray]

How large is the coop itself?

In addition to inadequate roost space, it doesn't look like you have the space that 12 chickens will need as adults.

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop,
• 10 square feet in the run,
• 1 linear foot of roost,
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

So a flock of 12 needs:

• 48 square feet in the coop.
• 12 feet of roost
• 120 square feet in the run.
• 12 square feet of ventilation.
• 3 nest boxes.

Those are good rules of thumb, except that the ventilation is overkill in a dry climate with cold winters. We have up to 16 chickens, 4 ducks, in a 10×10×8 ft insulated coop, with 20 sf of closable ceiling vent, 6 nesting boxes. About 26 linear feet of roost. Unlimited free range area. This setup has been working well.

 

[ChickenDude12345]

You can't have too much roosting space. They'll cluster together when they feel like it. The dowels you're using look about right for the bird size you have. I've tried many roost materials from 2×4s to tree branches - the best all around for comfort, foot health, etc. seems to be 2×2 stock with corners rounded off to 1/2" radius. If you don't have a router table to do that, you should be able to find someone to do it cheaply.

Yeah I put a 2 x 4 in there to make it more space

 

[3KillerBs]

They don't need a ladder. They have wings. Mine fly up to the roosts which are about 4 1/2 feet above the floor.

That depends on the breed. Some of the larger, heavier birds are not strong fliers.

I don't know if my Brahma will be able to fly up to the roosts in the Chicken Palace -- I've never seen her fly higher than about 18" since she reached her full size.

 

[aart]

They don't need a ladder. They have wings. Mine fly up to the roosts which are about 4 1/2 feet above the floor.

Flying down is more of problem, depending on the landing area in the coop.

 

[ChickenDude12345]

That depends on the breed. Some of the larger, heavier birds are not strong fliers.

I don't know if my Brahma will be able to fly up to the roosts in the Chicken Palace -- I've never seen her fly higher than about 18" since she reached her full size.

I’ll show you guys my set up now. I kept the ladder and because it’s too difficult to remove but some of them still use it even with the option of a 2 x 4 I think they’ll be fine.

 

[SmotherHen]

So I have twelve chickens and three 3 foot long roosts. But they don’t really use the bottom one because it’s only 8 inches off the ground. They are super crowded on the two roosts and are pecking each other for the best roosting spots. When they get bigger I don’t think they’ll have enough room (they are only 10 weeks old) when they are older. I do have room to put in two more roosts that are as high as the two highest ones. Should I put them in?

Re the 2x4 idea. if you do this be sure the birds can sit on the 4" wide part of the board not the narrow side.

 

[ChickenDude12345]

Re the 2x4 idea. if you do this be sure the birds can sit on the 4" wide part of the board not the narrow side.

Ok