Hi, I'm a newby from North Yorkshire, England

[tamz08]

I everyone, just got my girls on Saturday (6) and am a little concerned about the perch in the coop. It has a specially designed litter tray in the bottom of the coop and about an inch above that are the two perches. Are these to low? After the bedding has been put in it touches the bottom of the perch. Please can you tell me if they should be higher. Thankx

 

[FortWorthChicks]

Hello there and

from Texas. I wonder if your new 6 are standard or bantams? The way I hear it is bantams don't need a very high roost. If you have standards I might raise it up as high as possible.

Since they like to roost in trees they always appreciate being high up in the coop when roosting.

Congrats on your new birds

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
Tamz, welcome to BYC! Congratulations on the new additions to your family. Regarding your question, I think that the girls would feel more comfortable being up higher.
And besides, you don't want their tails to be dipping into dropped poo while they sleep.

I hope it's easy to raise the perch. Good luck.

 

[teach1rusl]

My roosts/perches were that low when I got my girls as tiny chicks, so they could learn to use them. But yes, they should be higher for reasons already mentioned. And of course you would want them higher than your nest boxes when those become needed. Congrats. on your new chickens!

 

[tamz08]

Hi, thank you for your comments. Yes, I think I will try to place the perches slightly higher. All the reading I've done over the last 10 months or so before I got the girls, does not prepare you for 'putting it into practice' I am looking forward to learning and getting experiance with my new additions. Connie, Henryetta, Ida, Katie, Emily and Nora.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
Great names. I heard once that older-fashioned names suit hens much better than modern ones.
For instance, I can't imagine a hen named Taylor or Brittany. Prudence and Myrtle are so much cuter for hens.

 

[gsim]

The roost sounds too be too low, but if they are chicks, you need it to be low, about 2" or 3" up. As they grow, it can be raised. My coop is 8 ft tall inside and the roost is at the 4 ft ht. The poop board is at the 2 ft ht. They jump to it first, then to the roost from it. The nests are 1/2 of the ht of the roost so they will not sleep in the nests and poop in them. The roost meeds to be 12" from the wall and the poop board needs to be 14" wide for adult birds to catch the poop. Clean daily

to keep air clean and keep humidity down. Most poop will be on poop board since they mostly poop when they roost. Makes coop chores a snap to have a properly made poop board.

 

[Ozchook]

Welcome Tamz from a fellow chicken newbie.
As a Yorkshireman myself (now living in Melbourne) I keep one eye on the weather over there (family still live in Settle) and wondered how you and the girls are coping with all the snow?


ps Chicken called Brittany hahahaha

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
Or Kayleigh....



[apologies to all the parents that have invented names for their dear ones]

 

[Rennie]

Hi tamz.. Nice to see a fellow Brit and from around the midlands too

..

.. would it be difficult for you to add more perches at different heights and see which they like to use best, I might have missed it but what birds do you have?? .. all of the ones I have (various breeds) all like the higher perches (3ft and higher off the floor)

I agree with your comment on reading doesnt prepare you for experience .. I did loads of research before i got mine last year .. Now from experience all of my coop is being changed to solve all of the issues i came across


Good luck with your birds .. Stick around here its a great place, even though most of the users are from the states the information is always spot on ..


@ Ozchook ... The snow has gone now

.. we had 3 weeks of solid snow and 2 days rain cleared it all where i am ...Now its just MUD!!!