how high?

[buddymc]

I'm building my first coop!!! The girls should be ready to go out in it about 4 weeks from now.

I'm doing a 4 x 8 raised 32 inches off the ground. I'm going to do a lean to type roof (easier for me to build) and am trying to decide how high the roof should be to give the girls room to roost. Is there a "typical" height.

How high off the floor should their roost be and how much head room should they have above when sitting on the roost?

It's really cool building my first coop. I trying to repurpose as much as possible. I'm using some PT wood for the base that was laying around the yard from my raised garden boxes. I'm also tearing down a old shed to use the wood and the corrugate metal roof. Hoping to keep costs down.

Praying it doesn't look too ghetto!

 

[7L Farm]

My roost are 10 ft high. Chickens are not scared of heights. They feel safer at night .

 

[buddymc]

I guess I'm looking for more of a "minimum" height and then I'll work from there. 10 ft. would be great but I don't want the coop to be 10 ft. tall plus the 32 inches it's off the ground.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Any hieght is fine. What your setup is is case specific to your coop. I've a short coop but was able to squeeze 15" from pine shavings to roosts. The birds easily walk under the roosts on route to nesting boxes and I can easily clean out coop with rake and shovel.

As long as your roosts are higher than your nesting boxes they'll sleep on the roosts and not poo in your boxes.

 

[PapaChaz]

Quote:
absolutely right! how tall are your walls? i made my coop 6x8 with only 4 ft walls. my bottom roost is 20 inches off the floor, to give them room to walk under to go out the pop door, the next one is moved up 12 in and in 12 in, and most of them roost on the roof trusses anyway! LOL which is 4 feet off the floor

ok something else to add, i raised mine 2 ft off the ground, wrapped it in hardware cloth for more run space underneath. my peak is just over 5 feet from the floor, so that's a total height of 7 feet not counting the weather vane of course. taller isn't always better if you make sure you vent it right to start with. look at my page, even a short coop can be cleaned out if it's done right, i can pull out my floors, but i could cut the 2x4 base plate out of the doors on each end and rake or sweep it out. it's all personal preference.

 

[lotzahenz]

I would make it an A-fram shape and make it as tall as possible that looks proportionate. If you have it off the ground 32 inches, you would want walls at least 32 inches, but preferably 36, then your roof maybe another 36. That would make the whole coop very tall, at the peak, but you need space to get in there and clean it out. I used the rule of 12X12 inches for roosting, but it is really too much. My huge turkeys roost there with no problems. There are some great coop ideas on here that might show exact numbers that will help you out. Best advice, build it as big as you can afford or have space for, as it will never be big enough and taller means more air circulation. Chickens really don't care much, they will roost anywhere they can squeeze into, as high up as possible, or on the floor if that is all there is.

 

[PapaChaz]

you didn't say where you are, if you get a lot of snow, the A frame suggested might be best, the steeper the roof, the less snow stays on it. if you don't, less roof pitch is easier to work with. also if you're in a high snow area, 2x6 rafters or trusses would be better than 2x4....

 

[buddymc]

I'm in Georgia, east of atlanta. Not much snow so I don't have to worry about that. More concerned about ventilation and shade than anything.

Thanks for all the input and suggestions!

 

[woody1]

Quote:
lotzahenz said it. Your chickens will roost as high as they can get. If "your roost" is not as high as they can get, chances are they will not use it but will go higher, to "their roost." Just count on it and build it highest point in the coop that they can comfortably roost. Regards, Woody

 

[dirtbagchickens]

Do the roost have to be poles or 2x2 like perches? what if my coop has shelves and nest like areas up in the rafters? will these serve as roost only or will the birds end up laying eggs there too?

I am upgrading an old coop. not sure how it was used before, but there were 38 nest boxes in a 4x8x10h room. there were even nest boxes built between the rafters. I am only having 6 or so birds. and will only have one four nest box, should I remove the higher shelves (8 to 12in deep) and install perch style roost?