chickens roosting in the rafters

[cluck-addict]

about a third of my hens are roosting in the rafters of the coop. Is that ok?

 

[SproutGirl]

My hens all roost in the rafters. The only trouble I ever see with it is that they are above the heating lamp in the winter. I just try to make sure to put petroleum jelly on their combs & wattles to protect them from frost bite. I figure if they get cold enough, they will figure it out.

 

[ruth]

That's where most of mine roost. The more dominate ones anyway. Everyone always wants the highest roost and the rafters are the highest - about 10 feet or more. We built roosts, stadium style, in the hen house but they prefer the rafters. I built a ladder for easier accesss up but some just fly up there and almost all fly/jump down instead of using the ladder to come down.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Well if you think about it - heat rises - so the ones in the rafters may actually be warmer than the ones on the ground near the heat lamp. Our winter temps are high 20s to low 30s and I've never had any problem with frostbite. We do put a radiator style heater in the coop in the winter - less worry about fires than heat lamps which, if used, need to be securely wired in at least two places so that they don't get knocked loose and fall to floor of coop.

 

[scooter147]

The only danger I see is bumble foot. Are they heavy breeds?

When I lived on the other place and the barn was the chicken house a lot of my chickens would go up the hay loft ladder to the hay loft then to the rafters or from the hay loft to ledge on the side to the rafters.
Those rafters were about 20 feet up. My chickens use to just fly to the ground but I had a lot of light weight breeds like brown leghorns, minoras, EE (good flyers) etc.

 

[SproutGirl]

Quote:
Well if you think about it - heat rises - so the ones in the rafters may actually be warmer than the ones on the ground near the heat lamp. Our winter temps are high 20s to low 30s and I've never had any problem with frostbite. We do put a radiator style heater in the coop in the winter - less worry about fires than heat lamps which, if used, need to be securely wired in at least two places so that they don't get knocked loose and fall to floor of coop.

Good point about heat rising. But when it's 0 degrees, there isn't any heat to rise!

 

[cluck-addict]

mostly buttercups and EEs in the rafters. I think the other ones are just too heavy to get all the way up there.

THanks