Hens keep flying into wall!!!

[Annalyse]

My flock has perches in the run and there's this corner branch one. Well, anytime my Plymouth jump-off they fly into the side of the coop or one of the walls. Will they be okay if they keep doing this? I always check them after to make sure they're okay. They act as nothing happened but they do this from the ground too. They'll start playing around and someone ends up flying into the wall.

 

[3KillerBs]

My flock has perches in the run and there's this corner branch one. Well, anytime my Plymouth jump-off they fly into the side of the coop or one of the walls. Will they be okay if they keep doing this? I always check them after to make sure they're okay. They act as nothing happened but they do this from the ground too. They'll start playing around and someone ends up flying into the wall.

What are the dimensions of your run? How high is the perch in question?

Could you provide pictures to help us make useful suggestions?

 

[azygous]

I have this situation in my coop. I built it before I thoroughly understood how chickens work. When they jump off a perch, like a plane landing, they require space to run out their momentum. If they only have enough space to drop straight down from a perch, you will see them occasionally crash into the wall.

One time, one of them, probably the rooster, crashed into the window slider I installed as a door to the coop and broke it. There has never been an injury from this defect in my coop, but each time I witness it, I just hate myself for not building a better coop.

 

[Annalyse]

What are the dimensions of your run? How high is the perch in question?

Could you provide pictures to help us make useful suggestions?

don't know the dimensions but I believe it's big enough. It used to be very small but we built it bigger and probably 6ft to the ceiling. I will provide pictures when I get a chance. I think it's where I placed the perch.

 

[3KillerBs]

don't know the dimensions but I believe it's big enough. It used to be very small but we built it bigger and probably 6ft to the ceiling. I will provide pictures when I get a chance. I think it's where I placed the perch.

It varies from bird to bird, but most chickens seem to fly down from things at about a 45 degree angle (sometimes shallower), so they need a landing zone about as long as the perch is high or a little longer.

 

[MissE]

don't know the dimensions but I believe it's big enough. It used to be very small but we built it bigger and probably 6ft to the ceiling. I will provide pictures when I get a chance. I think it's where I placed the perch.

Chickens pretty much need a 45 degree angle when jumping from the roost. If the don't have enough room, the will hit the wall. They don't generally jump straight down.

An easy way to get a rough estimate of size is use your arm span. Arm span will equal your height give or take an inch or so.

 

[Annalyse]

Chickens pretty much need a 45 degree angle when jumping from the roost. If the don't have enough room, the will hit the wall. They don't generally jump straight down.

An easy way to get a rough estimate of size is use your arm span. Arm span will equal your height give or take an inch or so.

I think they have space it's just that they are trying not to jump on their sibling that's in the way. My rooster actually didn't care one time and just face-planted into one of the girls. either that or they jump onto me and then jump down.

 

[Annalyse]

Pictures

 

[rosemarythyme]

It might be a little too high for the amount of space. I'd lower it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Pictures

It can be hard to judge in a photo, but if the distance from the perch to the wall is less than or equal to the height of the perch -- and it looks like it is -- then the perch is too high for the space allotted.

Our ladies fly more like heavy cargo planes than fighter jets so they need long runways.