Different Height Roosts?

[lindseyawest]

I was planning on doing two roosts at different heights, but then I read somewhere (maybe while searching on these forums) that have all the roosts at the same height can help cut down on bullying when dealing with the whole pecking order thing. Is it critical to have them different heights? What kind of overhead clearance would I need above the highest roost and the ceiling? Thanks!

 

[scooter147]

I have had roosts both ways, ladder style and level with one another.

I did find that the level style does seem to cut down on the amount of bullying as to who is going to rule the highest roost. Although as night falls they all seem to find their spot and settle in for the night.

As far as height from roost to ceiling I believe the bird should be able to stand fully upright when standing on the perch.

 

[lindseyawest]

I have had roosts both ways, ladder style and level with one another.

I did find that the level style does seem to cut down on the amount of bullying as to who is going to rule the highest roost. Although as night falls they all seem to find their spot and settle in for the night.

As far as height from roost to ceiling I believe the bird should be able to stand fully upright when standing on the perch.

I've never had chickens before so I'm not exactly sure how tall they will get (Buff Orp, Black Australorp, and Barred Rock).

 

[scooter147]

I'd say at least 18 inches

 

[aart]

Ladder style can take up a lot of floor space....I like roosts with poop boards, for cleaning and floor space maximization.
Height can depend on climate(for ventilation purposes) and size of coop (I needed ramps).
Roosts should be higher than nests or they will sleep, and poop, in nests.
1 linear foot of roost length for each bird, they might not need that much to sleep but it really helps when they are getting settled in at dusk.

There are lots of different ways to do roosts, depends on your coop and maintenance preferences.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Ladder style can take up a lot of floor space....I like roosts with poop boards, for cleaning and floor space maximization.
Height can depend on climate(for ventilation purposes) and size of coop (I needed ramps).
Roosts should be higher than nests or they will sleep, and poop, in nests.
1 linear foot of roost length for each bird, they might not need that much to sleep but it really helps when they are getting settled in at dusk.

There are lots of different ways to do roosts, depends on your coop and maintenance preferences.

I know this is an older post- but I just made all my roosts the same height and still have bullying behavior- one hen -lower on the pecking order has moved outside. Before she would roost on a lower roost. So I am thinking of adding a lower one

 

[Penpal]

I've only used a lower roost when I have young chickens that need a lower roost. They all want to be on the top roost. Make sure there is enough space between the roost and the wall. They should be able to perch with space beyond their tail feathers.

 

[Soujrnr]

I chuckled when I read through this thread. We are new to chicken ownership (just over three weeks now), and I built a ladder style roost. However, they didn't even look at it. Instead, they jumped up on the wall that separates the nesting area from the rest of the coop. All five of them sit up there each night, and there is never any bullying that I've ever seen. The only thing they use the ladder roost for now is as a ladder to get up on that ledge. LOL Works for me.

I honestly never knew that this simple difference in roosting methods could potentially alleviate bullying issues. We discovered it by mistake and by reading through this thread. I love this forum!!

The ledge I'm talking about is the ledge right above these double doors. I was actually intending to put a board there to finish off the nesting area, but before I could do that, we found out that the chickens jump up there and spend the night roosting there.

 

[Penpal]

Ditto with my birds. Last summer I had two Orpington hens and four Australorp roosters (not planned that way) They preferred to spend each night in the greenhouse, which has a 16 foot ceiling. I set up a sawhorse type roost with a bale of straw underneath. This is where the roosters roosted. The two hens flew up to the bar across the door, like yours do, Sojourner. Every night. I think they wanted to get away from the men.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I have multiple height roosts and like it. It is not a ladder, though I did have a ladder in another coop and it was fine. Having multi roosts has really helped with incorporating newbies and pre lay. After POL they make their way to the main roost, in their own time.
I also see the flock move around to different roosts, as pecking order, importance and age come into play. My old gals appreciate an easier hop as does my sight impaired.