Is the roost to close to the dropping board? (Other dimension questions)

[Skyla]

Hello,
We are making a new coop for the girls and one of the features I'm exited about is a dropping board. After looking at dimensions I read the first roost should be at least 6 inches above. Because of a window I was unable to do so, so it is very close to the dropping board (see picture below). Is this a problem? Will they hang out on the dropping board? Also I was a little unsure on the roost dimension because of all the contradicting information, I did 10in from the wall, and the other roost 7 inches from that and 10 down vertically. Thanks for any feed back!

 

[black_cat]

Hmm.... @aart could probably help you out. They'll probably use the higher one anyway, as they like to roost at the highest point.

 

[RojoMarz]

I don't think the height of the higher roost will be an issue. It may be slightly tight to try and scoop under. The second (lower) roost doesn't look to be over the poop board. My chicks roost whatever way the please. Some forward and some back. If you are going to use PDZ on the board, you will probably want to add a front lip on the poop board. My girls do not hang out on the poop board (that I know of).

 

[Skyla]

I don't think the height of the higher roost will be an issue. It may be slightly tight to try and scoop under. The second (lower) roost doesn't look to be over the poop board. My chicks roost whatever way the please. Some forward and some back. If you are going to use PDZ on the board, you will probably want to add a front lip on the poop board. My girls do not hang out on the poop board (that I know of).

The dropping board goes right up to the front of the 1st roost, so you are right if they face towards the window the board won’t catch it. I didn’t want to make the board go out even further for space reasons so as long as it catches most of the poop I’ll be happy. I’m currently adding lips on on all sides as I do plan to put sand in it, I also put on a plastic sheet over the osb. It’s good to know they don’t hang out in it, I was afraid they might use it as a dust bath lol. Thanks for the response!

 

[aart]

That looks fine, tho they might poop on the wall if they get the squirts.
My board is 24" wide, roost is centered(12" from wall) and 8" above board.
Some always roost on the front edge facing the 'right' way...some roost right on the board.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can see my juvenile roost over the nests. The only problem is that it is hard to clean around and under it. That's the only problem it being close causes, access for cleaning.

This a look from long ago of them on the roosts. If you look at the feet you can see that some are facing one way, others the other. One of them just looks confused, maybe because I turned the lights on to get the photo. I certainly can't guarantee that they will all face the correct way on yours.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Hello,
We are making a new coop for the girls and one of the features I'm exited about is a dropping board. After looking at dimensions I read the first roost should be at least 6 inches above. Because of a window I was unable to do so, so it is very close to the dropping board (see picture below). Is this a problem? Will they hang out on the dropping board? Also I was a little unsure on the roost dimension because of all the contradicting information, I did 10in from the wall, and the other roost 7 inches from that and 10 down vertically. Thanks for any feed back!
View attachment 2350233View attachment 2350234

There being only 7" distance between the roosts means they will be crowded and poop on any birds on the front roost.
Just 10" from the wall means some if not all the birds will be brushing their tails against the wall making them look ratty.

Knowing how many birds you have, what breeds and what the dimensions are of the coop will help us to better help you.

I keep standard size breeds such as BSL, BA and BO. My roosts are a minimum of 14" from the wall and 18" from each other. I found that reduced night time arguments.

 

[Skyla]

That looks fine, tho they might poop on the wall if they get the squirts.
My board is 24" wide, roost is centered(12" from wall) and 8" above board.
Some always roost on the front edge facing the 'right' way...some roost right on the board.

I put a plastic sheet on the back of the wall of their roost so the dropping will be easier to clean if they do end up on the wall. My girls usually face away from the wall but they like to change it up here and there. Maybe further on down the line I’ll make the dropping board larger, we mainly just settled for that size because it was the only thing we had on us. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Skyla]

There being only 7" distance between the roosts means they will be crowded and poop on any birds on the front roost.
Just 10" from the wall means some if not all the birds will be brushing their tails against the wall making them look ratty.

Knowing how many birds you have, what breeds and what the dimensions are of the coop will help us to better help you.

I keep standard size breeds such as BSL, BA and BO. My roosts are a minimum of 14" from the wall and 18" from each other. I found that reduced night time arguments.

Hopefully the 7in distance doesn’t cause to much of a problem, if it does I can always redo some of the roost to make it larger. I’ve never had a problem with ratty tails from brushing the wall personally, in my old coop the roost was much closer to the wall. The coop dimensions are 6x7, I plan on having around 9 chickens, and I have barred rocks, austrolorps, and Wyandotte’s. Thanks for the response!