Keeping them off the coop....

[Stormhorse23]

Our chicken coop is very short (up to my knees and I'm 5'3). Our chickens like to sit on top and it gets very dirty and looks pretty awful and I don't want my fancy babies standing on that and it gets in their foot feathers and is a nasty mess. How to keep them off??? any ideas? You know those mats they sometimes put under computer chairs and how they have that spikey side? well maybe putting one upside down on there would work. i dont want them to jump up there without knowing and really hurt their feet though. maybe set each on up there gently so they know what it is? please advise

 

[Smitty's Farm]

Is your coop set inside your run? Maybe you could cover the roof w/ a tarp or vinyl mats that can be removed to be cleaned to keep your roof clean, but I guess that doesn't solve the problem of keeping your chicken's feet clean. UMMMMMMM! Could you post a picture of your set up?

 

[silkiechicken]

I don't really think there is anything you can do. Spiky things rarely deter them in my experiences. Mine walk though black berry bramble and spend time scratching in sharp rocks... sharp because I tried to get something about 4 feet into the rocks and couldn't bare the first step onto the rocks and turned around to get my shoes.

I have a hen who visits the roof of the house... our two story house... I think twice when water drips from the roof now.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I tried those chair mat thingies with the pointy side up to keep my ferrets from pooping inappropriately. It didn't seem to bother them at all as they continued to poop merrily in that same spot, just on top of the pointy mat.

Don't know what it would do to chicken toes though.

Can you build a steep roof on it maybe?

 

[woodenart]

You won't stop your chickens getting on top of your coop, even if you clip a wing, so, I suggest you cover the top with material ( plywood?) that you can remove to clean.
Your coop needs to be at least 5 feet high to stop them jumping on top, and thats for a clipped wing bird

 

[Chirpy]

Seeing a picture would help but ... If it's possible to add something to make the roof really slanted that would keep the birds off - they would slide off if they tried to get up there.

 

[schmism]

is a common bird deterant. just place it were the girls might roost to deter them from roosting there.

(ie if you make the roof slopped with a piece of tin, there only real choice to roost would be at the high end, which you could then just put a strip of spikey stuff on)

 

[silkiechicken]

I wouldn't use spikes with the chickens, as they can't fly like wild birds, so you might end up with puncture wounds when they jump up and can't just fly off like a pigeon would. Difference with chicken flight and other bird flight is that half of the chickens flight ability is in the take off force from their legs.

Slanted roof or a easier way to clean the roof would be the way to go.

 

[Charlie Chicken]

It sounds like what you have there is a structure that happens to be an ideal height for chickens to jump up on and they are doing what chickens do. They like to jump up on things. This may be one of those "problems for which there is no solution".