I’m overthinking roosts…

[Jfarm123]

So the big 8x12 shed is in my back yard. I’m painting the inside, putting tiles in and easy to clean tarp walls with hay insulation. Has a light and has the “shelf”. The shelf is nailed very well to the walls. I can cut it in half and possibly reuse it on top. The left door will have the automatic door on it and the right door will be people door. I want to minimize the area and ducks getting pooped on… 15 chickens and 2 ducks

All that being said WWYD roost ideas! I put a couple of photos of what I found on the internet.

Would you take out half of the shelf? Would you keep it as is? Would you do one long roost on the left side? Or 2? Would you do a platform roost if so where?

Side note I’m dividing the nest boxes so it’s not community. Ducks will have the floor boxes. I have a ladder to get up higher for the roosts. I don’t want it so high that they roost in the rafters if this happens I’ll put up blockers.

Please help I clearly over thinking this!

 

[aart]

I put a couple of photos of what I found on the internet.

How bout some pics of your coop/shed?

Curious about the hay/tarp insulation.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[mowin]

I think the tarp walls and hay insulation is just going to be a rodent nightmare.

 

[perkolator]

My chickens would peck at any tarp material and shred it pretty quickly. Not knowing where you're located, I would likely add nothing to the walls for insulation as chickens don't need it - just make sure they're dry and don't have strong drafts in winter.

Without seeing a floor plan of what you plan to do it's hard to give advice. Long roost bars along one side won't be an issue, I would likely give them two bars for options. If there are rafters inside, the chickens will likely figure out a way to get up to them as they're the highest location = prime real estate for roosting. The shelf would likely get sat on and pooped on plenty, so I'd either remove it or block it off somehow and likely use it for storage, possibly even relocate closer to the doors if it's storage instead of at the back of the shed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So the big 8x12 shed is in my back yard.

I'll assume that first photo is your shed?

tarp walls with hay insulation.

Why? What are your reasons to do this?

Where are you, by the way. Location can be a very important part of these decisions and suggestions. Climate, for sure but even things like are you north or south of the equator.

The left door will have the automatic door on it and the right door will be people door. I want to minimize the area and ducks getting pooped on… 15 chickens and 2 ducks

All that being said WWYD roost ideas! I put a couple of photos of what I found on the internet.

Is 15 chickens what you will have in the future or will that number grow? Plan for what you will have, not just what you have now.

Assuming the shelves are what I'm seeing in the back of that first photo, I'd probably widen the top shelf so it is 3' wide. That becomes your droppings board. Above that put two 8' roosts across the back. The first 12" off the back wall, the other 12" past that. My personal preference is for two roosts at the same level but you can vary the height if you want. The chickens won't mind.

It looks like that window opens up from the bottom. Put hardware cloth on the outside of the window so you can open it in warm weather for ventilation and still keep predators out. This is one reason why having a clue on your climate helps. How cold a winter and hot a summer do you expect? I also have an 8x12 coop with one window. I open it in the spring and close it in the fall.

You will need permanent ventilation winter and summer in addition to what you get with that window in warmer weather. That looks like a flat roof, not sure how it's finished. I don't know how I'd add ventilation without knowing what you are working with and your climate, but my first thought would be to rip out an area up high on both side walls somehow.

I'm not sure what your goals are for having chickens or your management plans. I would not turn that area in the back under the roosts and droppings board into the nests, that 3' board sticking out would probably get in your way of gathering eggs. I'd consider turning that area underneath into a brooder, a broody buster, a place to isolate a chicken that needs isolating, or maybe storage.

I'd put the nests on one wall where it is easy to get to them to collect eggs. Four nests is plenty for 15 hens. You can either have a horizontal row of 4 at a level lower than the roosts or a stack of two on two as long as they stay lower than the roosts. The ducks probably will use nests on the ground. Some of the chickens might use ground nests too. You never know what any one hen will prefer.

Of course all this is based on my goals, preferences, climate, and management techniques. I play with genetics, hatch chicks with an incubator or broody hens, keep some flock replacements, and eat the rest. The poop on the droppings board goes onto the compost pile. They forage for some of their food. I have no idea how this relates to you. My main guiding motivation is to make it as simple and convenient as I can for me, the chickens can adapt. I consider room important as the tighter I pack them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with things that pop up.

If you do use those shelves in the back for nests, I'd put two 8' roosts along one wall. Doesn't matter if they are the same height or there is some variation in height but I'd want them together as that leaves more wall space if you need it to deal with something.
My guess is that those shelves are 8' in length and 2' in height. It's hard to get a depth, maybe 12" deep? You have all kind sf options as to how you lay out the nests and what you do with the rest of that shelving. I don't have a preference.

 

[Jfarm123]

How bout some pics of your coop/shed?

Curious about the hay/tarp insulation.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 3242165

Oops typo tarp walls. I live in NH.

 

[Iluveggers]

Curious about the hay/tarp insulation.

Ditto

I think the tarp walls and hay insulation is just going to be a rodent nightmare.

Agree

Oops typo tarp walls. I live in NH.

Can you clarify? If there are wood walls why tarp them? Or were you going to tarp the run?

 

[Jfarm123]

I think the tarp walls and hay insulation is just going to be a rodent nightmare.

Ditto

Agree

Can you clarify? If there are wood walls why tarp them? Or were you going to tarp the run?

Just tarp the walls inside the coop. I was hoping it would be easier to clean if I put up the tarps and the hay

 

[mowin]

Just tarp the walls inside the coop. I was hoping it would be easier to clean if I put up the tarps and the hay

I wouldn't tarp the walls. Rodents will gather bedding and other materials and use that void between the tarp and outer wall to make nests. My gals peck at anything. I wouldn't be surprised if the gals poked holes in it quickly. I'd be worried about the fibers getting stuck in the crops.

My walls are open, and unpainted. The roosts are far enough away from the wall so while on roost the poop doesn't hit the wall, keeping the wall clean. I use a broom a few times a year, or as needed, to sweep down the ceiling and walls to control the dust. I could see where painted walls would look better than unpainted, and might be easier to clean, but I haven't had a issue keeping mine clean.

 

[Iluveggers]

My plain walls are painted, as are my roosts. Poop scrapes/wipes right off when it ends up there. A friend of mine tried to insulate her walls, and mice got in, and the chickens pulled pieces off all the time. It ended up being a mess and she took it out. Chickens don’t need insulation, their feathers will keep them warm.