Cooping up at night

[22ChickenNuggets]

How long is the roost, in feet or inches?
Please post pics of your coop and roosts.

RoostTimeRumble is the most contentious part of the day.

My roost bars are 8 feet long 2x4’s and there are 3 or them, my coop is 8x8 can comfortably fit 30 chickens. We did a lot of research before building this coop, it is modeled after Carolina coops. The smaller ones on the floor are gone, those were to help them get up on the taller ones when they were little.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

Technically enough according to the rule of thumb of 12" per bird.
But since they have to fly up there's going to be excessive shuffling.
I wouldn't try to direct traffic, they need to work it out themselves.
Might want to put that lower roost back in there for the polish.



That's ~2sqft per bird, factory farm spacing.
Even for 21(3sqft p/b), it's smaller than I'd want.
But you may have a better run than I and live in a milder climate.

Our coop was built to spec for our winters, with only 21 they have plenty of space. I live in the UP of MI, and our winters can be brutal. There are no lower roost bars, they are all the same length, width, and height. If I was to put those little ones back they would get shit on all night I do try to stand back and watch on the cameras.

 

[BecaHawaii]

As a lot of you know (or maybe not) I’m a new chicken owner this year. My girls and roo are almost 7 months old. And I’ve been through hell, loosing one, bumblefoot, eye issues, yes I know it’s common. But I’m wondering if anyone can help me because maybe I’m over reacting, or maybe I’m not. I have a flock of 21. Consisting of Red stars, black stars, Easter eggers, 2 polish, and black giants and 1 Cochin Roo. At night when they coop up for bedtime, I feel like it’s a chaotic mess, now I know pecking order, maybe i don’t understand it well enough and them being 7 months old i thought they would have it figured out. But I have found that a couple birds might be bullies. My poor polish are petrified to go into the coop at night because they get beat up (no blood) and a couple EE’s get beat on too. Now I have enough roost bar space, the roost bars aren’t a ladder system they are all the same height. I find myself going out at bedtime and sitting in the coop making sure the lower ladies don’t get pushed around, and it’s gotten to the point my polish will actually run to me when they come in because they are scared. I feel like I created an issue, because I’m too emotional when it comes to things (horrible character flaw) but back to what I think is bullying. I have 1 black star who will sit by the door and Tag the lower ranking girls as they come in and chase them though the coop. The screams get me every time and I immediately stop her. But then as they are roosting it goes back to the point where some of them get bullied off the bars again. There has been times that the scared birds have actually pushed my roo off the roost because they are trying to get away from getting their ass kicked. He’s a big boy I’m scared he’s gonna hurt himself. But I’m just trying to figure out if my emotional character flaw is causing this chaos? Did I mess up my birds pecking order thinking it was bullying. At 7 months old will it correct itself? does it ever just calm down or is this going to be this much of a hot mess? Can someone maybe explain pecking order vs. bullying to me? Did I ruin my birds by being a “helicopter mom” If I did I feel like I failed as a chicken owner thus far. And it makes me sad for my birds. I just want peace in the coop. I want to be able to leave over night without worrying that something is going to happen. Please help!

I also found that when I first started that my perches were not high enough.

 

[BecaHawaii]

My roost bars are 8 feet long 2x4’s and there are 3 or them, my coop is 8x8 can comfortably fit 30 chickens. We did a lot of research before building this coop, it is modeled after Carolina coops. The smaller ones on the floor are gone, those were to help them get up on the taller ones when they were little. View attachment 2825361

How high off the ground are your roosts? (sorry if answered )

 

[BecaHawaii]

How high off the ground are your roosts? (sorry if answered )

The higher the better.

 

[saysfaa]

Wow. That is an awful lot to assume from a few sentences on a forum. Or even a lot of posts and threads in such a one dimension interaction.

Anyway.

...
There are probably more factors.

The next question is should anything be done about it. If so, what.

Whether a hen is laying or not is
significant factor.

Should anything be done about it? It depends on your goals and resources. I would but I keep hens for the sole purpose of the joy of caring for them and the peace I find with them. My threshold for drama in the coop is really low. Many people put the threshold at blood draw/injury.

"If so, what?"
It seems from the updates that you have found some of the things that can be done... clipping the feathers on their heads, less (or different, maybe?) intervention, time for them to work things out and for pullets to start laying.

If that is enough, great!

The easier it is for a lower ranking bird to give way to a higher ranking bird and/or to not draw her attention the less trouble the flock will have with either pecking order conflicts or bullying. More space per bird, more clutter for them to hide under or behind, and more locations for resources (several feeders, waterers, routes, ect) help tremendously. The recommended space per bird never fits every situation. The numbers recommended here don't. Neither do anyone else's numbers.

Good luck with your flock!

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

Could it be that some of your hens are laying eggs already and the others are not? If that is the case the ones not laying yet will get pecked at until they find their spot in the ranking.

All of them are laying with exception of the 2 polish. I’m aware polish tend to get picked on in a mixed flock. It was worse, but outside the coop they don’t get harassed to much anymore. Just at night time.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

In my flock the lowest members come into the coop last and therefore roost last. With my younger flock, there was always a fuss at bedtime. It’s better now, as they have separate spots to roost. The lowest members of my original 3 year old flock, are the hardest on the younger members. I think your pic of your system looks good, I’d like to get an extra roost bar this fall.

So the 3 that get picked at the most usually come in first to get their spot. They like it on the back roost. But that also where I’ll sit. The 2 polish like to go to bed earlier than the others. Maybe 10 mins before. But as soon as they do go in 1 red star will go in and chase them around. And they are screaming.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

I used to try to redirect, and move birds...but now I just watch,

And that’s what I was doing, because I felt bad for the lower girls. At this point I really only protect my 2 polish. Because they take a beating sometimes. I just let the others figure it out. It’s getting a little better now. My polish aren’t laying yet, one might start within the next few weeks. He waddle is red, and she squatted today at me, and my Roo really wants at her. Which scares me because he’s a standard Cochin. And he’s young. And REALLY immature and rough.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

Chickens need to be able to jump up and down off the roosts easily to avoid injury to their legs and feet (can cause bumble foot) If the roosts are too short , too high or too close together the chickens will knock each other off the same roost or the roost in front or behind them. If they can't open their wings or close down without flapping their wings in each others faces they're going to be injured in the face and eyes. They do need a lower and a higher roosts since they don't have as much floor space to land as they should have.

Our coop and roost bars are fine, they have been modeled after Carolina coops to spec.