Height for roosts.

[Dogfish]

4x8 floor. Main door in the center of the 8' span, chicken door on the left. 30" entry door, so there is 33" to the side of either door. How close to the ends of the coop can the roost be, how high should the lowest one be set at, and how high should the highest one be set at? The wall are 48" before the roof trusses, and chickens could roost on those two trusses as well.

Theoretically I could go 16", 32" and 48" on both ends, or I could got shorter and do 12", 24" and 36". Do they need a ramp, or will then jump/flap their way up there? The roost boards will be removable for easy cleaning.

I'm thinking that I'll want to build an exterior loading feeder for inside the coop to save on floor space.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

The lowest roost should be higher than your nest boxes so as to encourage them to use the roosts and not the boxes to sleep in.

I typically make my low roost about two feet off the ground, the next highest ten to twelve inches above that going up in a ladder fashion. About twelve inches horizontal distance between the roost poles minimum, eighteen for turkeys. About the same distance from the wall.

If you have heavy breeds (not regular dual-purpose) you might want to start the low roost at a foot off the ground. Their greater body weight can cause injuries when they come off a roost. Same for birds like Silkies and Frizzels since they do not fly well.

.....Alan.

 

[Dogfish]

Nest box entrances are 6" off the floor, and I have Rhode Island Reds, Austrolorps, Barred Rocks and Gold Sex Links, so starting at 12-16 inches, then moving up to 32 " should be good?

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I wouldn't go that low. None of those are heavy breeds. I have all of those and they can make my two foot high roosts with ease. But so long as they are higher than the nest boxes you can make them any height you like.

.....Alan.

 

[Dogfish]

Thanks

 

[Gypsy07]

I'm confused. Both of the chicken books I have say to make all the roosts the same height, because the chickens will just all try to get on the highest one and end up fighting over it.

So is that incorrect? I have a roost that's about 6" off the floor of my coop and five out of my seven chickens still prefer to sleep in a huddle on the floor. Bah!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

It takes a little while for chickens to catch on to the idea of roosts if you've raised them in a brooder. I just recently started using a 'training roost' in my brooder to try to eliminate this problem. Noticed last night one of them was using it so maybe this batch will take to roosting sooner than others. The lot that was in the brooder just before them still hasn't taken to roosting even with the extra low roosts I put in because half of them are Silkies. They'll figure it out sooner or later. They always do.

As for ladder or horizontal roosts it's all a matter of what you personally prefer. I find ladder roosts save space which is why I like them. They're going to have their favorite places no matter what which means there is going to be squabbling over them just like they do with nest boxes. They're a lot like people that way...

.....Alan.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with everything A. T. Hagan said. Good information. Mine are all about the same height and they still squabble at night. They do prefer the highest roosts but if they cannot fight over height, they will fight over the best location or who gets to sleep beside whom. Don't be too surprised if some get knocked off the roosts while going through these nightly adjustments. If you have rafters they can get to, expect some or all to sleep up there. I think you will like having the roosts removable. It has come in handy for me a few times.

There are different magic numbers for how much roost space you need, usually 8" each is given as a minimum for your breeds. They will sleep squeezed together in a lot less space, but they need room to get up to the roosts and usually spread their wings when they jump. If you have several chickens, the 8" will probably work, but if you only have a few, you may need to give them a bit more room each to provide this extra space they need for access.

Instead of building a ladder, I provided a step. My nest boxes are on the 90 degree wall near the roosts and my roosts are just under 4 feet high. Some jump/fly straight to the roosts but most jump on top of the nest boxes then jump over to the roosts. In the morning, they jump straight to the ground, ignoring the step. I'll post a picture so you can see what I mean. It may not work in your specific situation.

The higher the roosts, the more room they need to fly down. It is not just that they may hurt themselves jumping down, but chickens are clumsy flyers. They may bang into feeders, waterers, nest boxes or walls on the way down and hurt themselves. It does not happen on a regular basis, but that is why I like having the roosts as low as reasonable and still be higher than anything else you do not want them to sleep on.

 

[deek]

Very informative. Size really does matter apparently and what you tend to read is a bit generic. Thank you. This really helps.