Does this plan leave enough room for the roosts?

[Uncle Marc]

I am working on a floor plan and have tweaked it a bit.

Do you think that a four foot by four foot space is enough room for the roost area and if so, how many chickens should I plan on having use this area. We'd like to keep 10-12 layers.

 

[KDK1]

Four 4 foot roosts is plenty enough roost space. I have 9 hens that only use less than 6 lf of roost.

 

[Uncle Marc]

Thanks I was thinking that 4roosts about 1 foot apart front to back and each about 1 .5 feet higher than the one in front would accommodate about 10-12 hens. Am I thinking correctly?

 

[dbcooper02]

It is generally prefered that the roosts all be on the same level. Otherwise the hens will all be wanting to crowd onto the uppermost one.

 

[KDK1]

Quote:
The roost plan will easily accomodate 12 hens. It would accomodate 18 hens if you wanted. You have plenty enough floor space for 18 birds at 192sf. Get more chickens!!!

 

[Little One]

Plenty of room. Our coop is about four feet wide, with three staggered roosts kind of like you described. Eight chickens usually squeeze onto the top roost together at night. The bottom two hardly ever get used.

 

[KDK1]

Quote:
Prefered by whom? Chickens or humans? A ladder type roost actually helps maintain the pecking order... which is a GOOD thing! An established pecking order equals fewer squabbles in the hen house.

 

[Uncle Marc]

Thanks. The one room which is 4 X 12 is for storage and humans. I've kinda decided it will be 6 X 12 now leaving 6 X 16 for the coop where the food water and nesting boxes will be, and the 4 X 6 area in which I will have the roosts. I think this will give me about 120 square feet of floor space inside the coop.

I will also have about 96 square feet under the coop for a run, and this spring I will be adding another 80 square feet to that so I should have about 176 square feet of run space outside, plus the 120 square feet inside.

Will this be enough for about 12 laying hens at each stage?

 

[KDK1]

Quote:
Plenty of room... and room for another half dozen or so when you feel the itch!