How much head room do chooks need on the roost?

[Nonny]

I've added another roost to my coop to try and stop the girls fouling up the nesting box overnight by sleeping in it, only I don't have a lot of height in there and wondering if the new roost has enough head room for comfort.

Is there some sort of standard?

 

[AngelzFyre]

I would think at least enough to stand up when need be. Most of the time they are settled in and squatted down over their feet when on there.
Mine have 2 roosts in a T formation but still in one coop the roo and his 2 main girls sit above everyone else on a back wall that's only got about 9 or 10 inch tall clearance at the top. The other coop has same exact thing but they never sit up on the wall..only the roosts. Go figure! LOL

 

[gale65]

I asked this recently and was told 18 inches. I don't think I have 18 inches so we'll probably have to figure out a way to lower the nest boxes.

 

[Nonny]

OK, I put pics on my BYC page. Your thoughts? It's a temporary roost made with a broom handle until I see what works/what height etc.

 

[catfish/okie]

My coop is about 7 feet high inside. The roost is about 5 ft. high. I have a 2 x 2 about 3 ft. high and about 2 ft. in front of the main roost. I have 2 7 week chicks who now roost on the main roost with their mother. The main roost is a 2 x 4.

 

[AngelzFyre]

Quote:
My coop is similar to that but it has a wall right in front of the nest boxes with a pop door and a ramp...the roosts are then a bit above that pop door in height but to the right of it and then another roost length wise so that it forms a T and they don't poop in food/water etc.

You may want to wall yours off more where the nest boxes are and try a ramp and have those roosts on the outside of where they nest if possible so they can't just walk right into the nest boxes and sleep at night. It doesn't even have to be a solid wall but could be framed and hardware cloth just for a boundary and frame out a door with a ramp or ladder so they can get down in the rest of the coop.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

You don't have to put them up that high just a bit higher. Are these standards, heavys or bantams? That roost looks rather narrow. 2x4 flat side down works best for bigger birds.

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l l l They don't have to be angled like a ladder you can make them straight across like that pathetic drawling, lol. Just make be sure there is space enough between them for the birds to jump up. mine are 12 inches apart and about 8 inches from the wall. 12 inches lets you run a small ramp up between the roost if need be.

 

[gale65]

Quote:
At the risk of sounding like a smarta##, which flat side should go down? 2 x 4s have 4 flat sides. Do you mean the bigger side because I thought that the smaller side would be easier for them to roost on.

 

[Nonny]

Quote:
My coop is similar to that but it has a wall right in front of the nest boxes with a pop door and a ramp...the roosts are then a bit above that pop door in height but to the right of it and then another roost length wise so that it forms a T and they don't poop in food/water etc.

You may want to wall yours off more where the nest boxes are and try a ramp and have those roosts on the outside of where they nest if possible so they can't just walk right into the nest boxes and sleep at night. It doesn't even have to be a solid wall but could be framed and hardware cloth just for a boundary and frame out a door with a ramp or ladder so they can get down in the rest of the coop.

I'm not too sure what you mean about putting the roosts outside of where they nest. Do you mean in the larger part of the coop, or out in the run? I've added another photo to the page that shows it from a different angle. We have a smaller door and ramp leading into the other half of the coop, that's not so enclosed, which sounds like you've described.

 

[Nonny]

Quote:
It's hard to find a spot to put them since there are doors on two sides of that area, and the nest boxes on the third side. It was a cheapie internet purchase that I now regret so I'm trying to make it as comfy as I can for them until I can afford a bigger, better one.

The chooks are Australorps - the biggest of them is the one pictured on my page (looking suitably peeved at being put in the coop for the purpose of size comparison in the photos LOL)