How much roosting space do buff orpingtons need?

[Farmlife16]

Hi everyone! I bought 4 buff orpingtons from Tractor Supply and I am wondering how much roost space they will need when they are full grown. I'd appreciate any insight from people who own buff orpingtons. Pics of them roosting would be helpful so I can get a visual idea of how much space they need.
Thanks so much!

 

[K0k0shka]

I have 3 different colors of Orpingtons. None are buff, but they are all English so they are large. I have 6 of them, plus 2 Barnevelders which are still LF but smaller than the Orps. I have two roosts but of course everybody wants to sleep on the top roost only. The top roost is 7 feet long. On warm nights they like to spread out, while on cold nights they huddle together and take up about 2/3 of the space they do on warm nights. So how much space they need depends on the season, and I imagine on the temperament of the birds and how well they get along. 1 foot per bird is a good rule to play it safe. It also gives them maneuvering room when they want to switch positions. Mine are doing well with 7 feet for 8 chickens. It also helps that there's a second roost they can hop down on, walk across, and hop back up from if they want to change places without walking/jumping on top of others to get to the spot. Also helps that they get along pretty well and don't fight at bedtime.

Here they are at their most spread out:

And huddled together on a cold night:

 

[DobieLover]

Providing 1 linear foot per bird is a good starting point.
They are a LF breed so they have similar space requirements to any LF breed.

 

[3KillerBs]

That makes sense! My coop is quite small right now, big enough for the chicks, but not big enough for when they are adults. I am calculating how much I need to expand it. They will be big before I know it!!

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

4 hens

• 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
• 4 feet of roost
• 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
• 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

My Little Monitor Coop is designed to meet all the minimums for a flock of 4: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

Good luck.

 

[K0k0shka]

@K0k0shka, just wanted to say how great it is to see an update on your longer roost and how your new girls are fitting in with the flock. Man, they are so big! That one partridge girl looks like a total chonk and as big as her SL and LC roosting neighbors, who I know are BIG girls.

Aww, hi Windrider! I haven't posted any updates to my threads recently... I even missed my poor new babies' half-birthday. Time flies. The pullets have grown a lot and are HUGE. That's being additionally exaggerated by the fact that their aunties are molting, and are looking uncharacteristically small right now (so much of that size is fluff!) The dark pullet is the largest of the three, and until the hens fluff out again, she's going to be the largest of the whole flock!

Here she is, back on the old roost (the other two pullets are the ones on the baby roost. She's braver than them and inserts herself in with the big girls more than they do):

Next to my largest hen, who is molting right now so she looks smaller than usual:

All together on the roost - from left to right: two pullets, the largest hen, the largest pullet, and the rest of the hens:

They get along pretty well. The hens still hog the treats or any special feedings, and chase the pullets away, but nothing too serious. When food isn't involved, they sit next to each other to groom or dust bathe, and sleep next to each other on the roost.

 

[K0k0shka]

That makes sense! My coop is quite small right now, big enough for the chicks, but not big enough for when they are adults. I am calculating how much I need to expand it. They will be big before I know it!!

Make it bigger than you think you'll need. Chicken math happens even to the best of us

 

[K0k0shka]

Just when I thought they couldn’t pack themselves any tighter, here they are - taking up HALF the roost space they have! I didn’t think it was physically possible, but I guess most of that is just fluff anyway It’s 58 degrees outside, nowhere near cold enough to justify this level of squishing. I guess they are in denial that summer is over, and are being overly dramatic about the 58.

And, for comparison, this is them on a warm night:

 

[3KillerBs]

The other night mine were packed so tight I had to count beaks to make sure I hadn't had an escape -- I saw way too much empty roost. LOL

 

[K0k0shka]

The other night mine were packed so tight I had to count beaks to make sure I hadn't had an escape -- I saw way too much empty roost. LOL

I can’t even see beaks on most of mine… Have to rely on the fact that they are all slightly different in color/darkness and just look for a color change as I look across the roost

 

[Windrider]

@K0k0shka, just wanted to say how great it is to see an update on your longer roost and how your new girls are fitting in with the flock. Man, they are so big! That one partridge girl looks like a total chonk and as big as her SL and LC roosting neighbors, who I know are BIG girls.