Sorry for the long post. I appreciate any input and will happily clarify my word-vomit post for anyone taking the time to read through my novel.
What have you done to counteract the inaccessibility of space underneath a ladder roost bar system?
Is it possible to build a roost ladder system with a poop shelf underneath it, but still be able to easily access the area underneath for cleaning? I still want to make the space accessible to chickens for when they don’t want to go outside, but also make it less appealing than their nest box so they don’t lay eggs there?
I have an 8x12’ shed converted to a coop where the back 8x9’ is for the chickens and the front 8x3’ is for storage or housing pullets before a full introduction to the flock. Thr front also contains a large nest box the hens can access from the coop side.
I have 19 chickens but will be getting 15 more from a neighbor who is moving into town.
A year ago I switched from a ladder system to what I have now. My current roost bar and poop shelf is a single level, 2 foot wide, L-shape shelf that’s 3 feet off the ground with a roost bar 12 inches above that. I like the setup because it’s at a comfortable height for me to scoop the poop, and also when some hens decide to lay under the shelf I’m not having to belly crawl under or hit my head. Also, it frees up the entire floor for the chickens to hang out in when there’s too much snow outside. Additionally it keeps the poop off the floor and bedding so I’m not constantly hauling out soiled wood shavings.
Unfortunately, this will not work if I nearly double my flock size.
I was thinking of switching back to the ladder-roost bar system to maximize roost space, which would be three bars deep, across the back wall, and of varying heights for the thin and flighty girls and the meaty waddling girls, but I didn’t like that because it made the entire area under the roost bars awkward to access for me, AND my chickens would hang out in poop all day. It took up a lot of limited floor space, collected all the poop, the chickens would use that area to lay in, I’d have to contort myself around the roost bars to grab the poopy eggs, and when I tried a poop shelf situation it all but made the area entirely inaccessible to me. Plus the darkness made it extra appealing to my layers.
Also, I was removing and buying new bedding constantly, and the humidity on icy winter nights would skyrocket in the coop despite sufficient ventilation. With my current poop shelf setup I’ve had no humidity issues this winter.
What have you done to counteract the inaccessibility of space underneath a ladder roost bar system?
Is it possible to build a roost ladder system with a poop shelf underneath it, but still be able to easily access the area underneath for cleaning? I still want to make the space accessible to chickens for when they don’t want to go outside, but also make it less appealing than their nest box so they don’t lay eggs there?
I have an 8x12’ shed converted to a coop where the back 8x9’ is for the chickens and the front 8x3’ is for storage or housing pullets before a full introduction to the flock. Thr front also contains a large nest box the hens can access from the coop side.
I have 19 chickens but will be getting 15 more from a neighbor who is moving into town.
A year ago I switched from a ladder system to what I have now. My current roost bar and poop shelf is a single level, 2 foot wide, L-shape shelf that’s 3 feet off the ground with a roost bar 12 inches above that. I like the setup because it’s at a comfortable height for me to scoop the poop, and also when some hens decide to lay under the shelf I’m not having to belly crawl under or hit my head. Also, it frees up the entire floor for the chickens to hang out in when there’s too much snow outside. Additionally it keeps the poop off the floor and bedding so I’m not constantly hauling out soiled wood shavings.
Unfortunately, this will not work if I nearly double my flock size.
I was thinking of switching back to the ladder-roost bar system to maximize roost space, which would be three bars deep, across the back wall, and of varying heights for the thin and flighty girls and the meaty waddling girls, but I didn’t like that because it made the entire area under the roost bars awkward to access for me, AND my chickens would hang out in poop all day. It took up a lot of limited floor space, collected all the poop, the chickens would use that area to lay in, I’d have to contort myself around the roost bars to grab the poopy eggs, and when I tried a poop shelf situation it all but made the area entirely inaccessible to me. Plus the darkness made it extra appealing to my layers.
Also, I was removing and buying new bedding constantly, and the humidity on icy winter nights would skyrocket in the coop despite sufficient ventilation. With my current poop shelf setup I’ve had no humidity issues this winter.
