how high to make roosts in pen?How high nest boxes? Will space suffice

[espressola]

I'm curious about bumblefoot too- my chickens are mid-sized and my roosts start at 18 inches high and graduate up a foot at a time to nearly 5 feet high... they are stair stepped so they can hop down one at a time... will this work OK?
Patty ;-)

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Well, it does give them a way to jump/climb up and down without jumping 3' or 4'. Lots of people use that style of roost without a problem. I don't care for them because it is something else to fight over: the highest in the pecking order gets the highest roost. OTOH, there are always some in the middle and at the bottom of the pecking order, so.... Personal preference.

Bumblefoot I think most often results from things like a splinter on the ramp, a sharp object in the yard, etc. It doesn't come from hopping as such, it comes from a small wound. They can, however, get sprains and even fractures if they jump down and land wrong. Mine have plenty of room to flap wings and don't seem to have any problem getting off the roost. But they also have roomy coops.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I would not argue with its resulting from wire mesh; I do not know. I've only read about bumblefoot, not dealt with it. But for the staph on the skin to get in, there has to be a wound. Certainly bruises are a wound of sorts, and could lead to it easily; bruised skin is very easily punctured with very little trauma. And wet muddy ground would also make skin very prone to puncture from minimal trauma. Puncture, or penetration by bacteria, does not have to be caused by a sharp object; it can occur with macerated or abraded skin, just as well.

 

[CityChook]

Quote:
Everyone's chickens are different. Some love snow, some don't. My run is fully roofed and even tho I opened up the pop door every day that it was at least 0F, the chooks refused to go outside. The snow was only a skiff in the run, but they would have nothing to do with it. The few times I let them free range during the winter, they stuck to the iced path that I took to their coop and flew over any snow. One time, one of the hens wanted to be with her girlfriends having snacks on our patio at the backdoor (which was snow/ice free) and, to avoid the snow, flew over to them, only to find that her landing had to be on ice -- she skid almost 5 ft. on her fluffy big bootie before crashing to a halt on the patio. My DH almost spit his coffee all over the window he was laughing so hard at them.

 

[Judy]

Quote:

 

[espressola]

Thank you, ddawn... I've appreciated reading this thread..... now I feel better!
Patty N. ;-)

 

[pymatuningchix]

ok. So if I bed good enough I can put the roosts 36" off the floor without too much trouble. They should have plenty of wing room in their pen. I take it the pen is big enough for 25 although bigger would be better. Like I said, deciphering through all the sites and info was kinda confusing and frustrating.

The nest boxes would be good about 18-20 inches off the floor then? Make them 14" x 14" x 12"? Seven enough for 25 hens?

Thanks for the stories about snow. My mother didn't generally let her hens out during the winter so I had no background to work from there.

Figure I have 2-3 weeks to get a run completed. Would like to free range, but if they wander too close to the guard dog or the beagle, they are toast. Plus my 6-year old "puppy" is jealous and views them as play toys and rivals. Also have to figure how to get them from pen to run as I am using existing buildings meant for other livestock. It shouldn't be too difficult though.

So glad I found this site and everyone willing to answer dumb questions and offer encouraging advice.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Sounds like it will work fine. You could get by with 6 nest boxes -- truth is, they probably won't use more than a couple of them anyway. I hope for your sake you can figure out a way to fence in a path from coop to run so you don't have to catch and carry them twice a day.

 

[kathyinmo]

I am just finishing up on my coop. Per Pat's suggestion, I put my roosts 4 ft up from the floor, and the droppings board will be 3 ft up from the floor. I did make a little ladder of sorts, a piece of plywood with little steps, and laid it up to the roosts. They are only 5 weeks old, and just curious, not really roosting there yet, as they are still using the light at night. I still have to make nests. Kathy