how tall shoul I build my roost

[jimz1]

I've got 16 chickens and was wondering about how tall and wide should the roost be?

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Part of that may depend on what kind of birds you have and how much space you have. If you have heavy breeds it can be difficult for them to fly up and down very far in a small space. But, if you have room to do a ladder type roost or put a ramp up, you can build it pretty high. If you have a bird like silkies, that is a whole 'nother story.

 

[jimz1]

I've got 5 different breeds: 'lorps,brahmas,s l wyandottes, N H reds and auracanas. Coop is 10x12 7' high down to 61/2

 

[Wynette]

I'd suggest no lower than 24" for those large fowl breeds. Make sure your nest boxes are placed lower, as they will roost in the highest spot, and if your nest box is higher than the roost...well, suffice to say, you'll have dirty eggies!

 

[jimz1]

Thanks. I was going to ask about nest box height next

 

[Yay Chicks!]

It sounds like you've got enough room for a ladder style roost, which may suit everyone. A lot of people recommend 2 x 4s with the 4" side up so that they can sit on their feet in the cold.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I suggest as low as you reasonably can. Your determining factor will be how high is anything else you do not want them roosting on, such as in or on the nest boxes.

Your Brahmas are bigger than mine, but mine are similar sized to your others. Mine have no trouble flying up 4 feet to my roosts. I suspect your Brahnmas could make that too. An intermediate step could be useful though. I put my nest boxes about three feet away from my roosts. My chickens normally hop to the top of the nest box, then go from there to the roosts. When they come down, they go all the way to the floor.

The reason I suggest as low as reasonable is that it is possible a chicken can hurt itself coming off the roosts. It does not happen all that often and I would not obsess about it. It is not like they tuck their wings, close their eyes, and cannonball down. They spread their wings and usually come down fairly gently, but it has been known to happen, usually with heavier breeds like the Brahmas. So if you have a choice, I suggest you not make them any higher than you need to.

This may give you an idea what I am talking about as far as positioning the nest box and roosts, but anything as an intermediate step will help. If you use a ladeer-type roost, just ignore this.