Freestanding perch?

[Jeanboo]

Hi. We are starting over (a mink took out my flock in November). We decided to take this opportunity to do more work on the coop. We had purchased a bunch of corian (solid surface) countertop materials super cheap at an auction. My husband installed it on the walls after insulating. The top of the walls are now covered in plywood. But my dilemma is, how do we make a roost now? With no exposed beams to attach it to. I'm thinking some kind of freestanding roost? Does anyone have any examples that I might use for inspiration?

 

[Callender Girl]

I had a similar situation last spring when a friend who was helping me build my newest coop decided to install the laminated paneling he was going to use in a camping trailer.

I used 2-by-4's to make a two-level roost with a poop shelf. If I could post photos I would, so bear with me.

The freestanding roost is located in one of the short ends of the coop. I basically built a rectangular base with four pieces of lumber, then made two U-shaped roosts that I installed upside down to the base. I don't have a lot of construction skills, so I attached the uprights to the base with L-brackets. One is about six inches higher so the bantams and the full-sized girls could choose their comfort level.

The higher roost is still significantly lower than the hardware cloth covered ventilation "window."

A poop shelf currently still rests on top of a couple of concrete blocks but will be attached to the roost uprights with L-brackets someday (which is when many of my projects are scheduled for completion).

One advantage to the freestanding roosts is that the structure will be easy to remove in the spring when I have decided to make it a corner unit instead for easier access. Despite having nest boxes, my hens have decided they like to lay eggs directly under the poop shelf, apparently so they can watch me struggle to reach their little prizes. If I angle the roosts into the corner, I shouldn't have to lean onto the often-poopy roosts to get to the eggs.

Hope this at least gave you an idea. Good luck with your build!

 

[saysfaa]

I don't have a picture but most of the people in the dorms at the college I went to built free standing lofts. We couldn't put nails (much less anchors) in the walls so we stabilized by driving wedges in between the beams and the walls. The weight was carried by posts, the wedges just kept it in place.

 

[RubelliteRose]

All of our roosts are free standing and we love them. They are easily removed for cleaning. In this picture, we moved our chickens to the garage during a tropical storm and moved their roost in with them (blacked out area is daughter who didn't want to be in the picture )

Our larger coop has free standing roosts on the poop boards.

 

[Jeanboo]

I had a similar situation last spring when a friend who was helping me build my newest coop decided to install the laminated paneling he was going to use in a camping trailer.

I used 2-by-4's to make a two-level roost with a poop shelf. If I could post photos I would, so bear with me.

The freestanding roost is located in one of the short ends of the coop. I basically built a rectangular base with four pieces of lumber, then made two U-shaped roosts that I installed upside down to the base. I don't have a lot of construction skills, so I attached the uprights to the base with L-brackets. One is about six inches higher so the bantams and the full-sized girls could choose their comfort level.

The higher roost is still significantly lower than the hardware cloth covered ventilation "window."

A poop shelf currently still rests on top of a couple of concrete blocks but will be attached to the roost uprights with L-brackets someday (which is when many of my projects are scheduled for completion).

One advantage to the freestanding roosts is that the structure will be easy to remove in the spring when I have decided to make it a corner unit instead for easier access. Despite having nest boxes, my hens have decided they like to lay eggs directly under the poop shelf, apparently so they can watch me struggle to reach their little prizes. If I angle the roosts into the corner, I shouldn't have to lean onto the often-poopy roosts to get to the eggs.

Hope this at least gave you an idea. Good luck with your build!

Haha! Silly birds, of course they do that. Thanks for the ideas. I will convey them to my hubby.

 

[Jeanboo]

All of our roosts are free standing and we live them. They are easily removed for cleaning. In this picture, we moved our chickens to the garage during a tropical storm and moved their roost in with them (blacked out area is daughter who didn't want to be in the picture )
View attachment 2984072

Our larger coop has free standing roosts on the poop boards.
View attachment 2984073

Okay. I see. Good info. Thank you.

 

[Jeanboo]

I don't have a picture but most of the people in the dorms at the college I went to built free standing lofts. We couldn't put nails (much less anchors) in the walls so we stabilized by driving wedges in between the beams and the walls. The weight was carried by posts, the wedges just kept it in place.

Hymm.. interesting

 

[perkolator]

Freestanding A-frame roost ladder is pretty common in the chicken world and very simple to build