Location of roosts?

[ceyoung77]

I'm currently remodeling my coop (hoping to finish before chicks in mid-April), I used to have ladder style roosting but am planning to change to one height with dropping boards underneath for easier clean-up. I have a 12×16 shed converted to my coop, 12×12 is chicken space. 4×12 is storage space for feed, shavings and such. There is also a loft, closed off to the chickens but open to the storage. I have cut a 6" opening the entire length (16') of both side at the top of the wall and covered with HC. I'm wondering where in the coop should the roosting bars be? The orientation of the coop on the property has the 6" openings to the north and the south. The 1st picture shows the south and west walls (I cut a clean-out door in this morning!). The 2nd picture shows the north wall.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The best suggestion I know of is to arrange the roosts so when the hens come in to lay during the day they don't have to walk under the roost to get to the nest boxes. Under the roost is where most of the feces is unless you have a poop board so they don't track feces into the nests.

 

[DobieLover]

I'm currently remodeling my coop (hoping to finish before chicks in mid-April), I used to have ladder style roosting but am planning to change to one height with dropping boards underneath for easier clean-up. I have a 12×16 shed converted to my coop, 12×12 is chicken space. 4×12 is storage space for feed, shavings and such. There is also a loft, closed off to the chickens but open to the storage. I have cut a 6" opening the entire length (16') of both side at the top of the wall and covered with HC. I'm wondering where in the coop should the roosting bars be? The orientation of the coop on the property has the 6" openings to the north and the south. The 1st picture shows the south and west walls (I cut a clean-out door in this morning!). The 2nd picture shows the north wall.

The vents are over their heads so they won't cause a draft directly on the birds.
This is the way I installed my boards and single height roosts. This configuration would work well in your shed conversion.
I set the board height at 34" off the floor and the surface of the roosts are 13" above the surface of the boards. I have found that this height works well to minimize head shots to chickens looking for their spot on the roost but isn't too high to jump up to.

 

[aart]

I'm wondering where in the coop should the roosting bars be?

Probably better on wall without eave vents, tho you could damper those in winter by tacking cardboard to bottom of rafters up a couple feet to redirect air flow there. That's what I do.

How many birds.....and how long will roost/boards be?
Look at overall plan to decide where everything would work best.
Graph paper can be a great tool for planning/weighing options.

Under the roost is where most of the feces is unless you have a poop board so they don't track feces into the nests.

am planning to change to one height with dropping boards underneath for easier clean-up.

 

[TerryH]

We would definitely vote for roosts over poop boards. Our setup have been great. Have sliding nest boxes underneath.

Untitled by TerryHatfield, on Flickr

 

[Ridgerunner]

Vertically determine the height of your coop floor, including bedding. Then position the nests. Some people put the nests on the coop floor, others put them high enough so they don't have to bend over to gather eggs. Or in between. Your choice. Then put the roosts noticeably higher than the nests or any other place you do not want them sleeping. They tend to roost on the highest location available. In your coop, unless the nests are under your droppings board, I'd thing 12" higher than the tops of the nests would be good.

I also suggest you make the roosts as low as reasonable. Part of that is so any breezes from your ventilation are over their heads. Part of that is that the higher your roosts the more clear landing space they need when they fly down from the roosts. I don't worry about this one because my chickens are not large for their breed, but some people feed their chickens in a way that they are "large". If yours are fed this way the larger breeds especially might injure themselves hopping down from the roosts. So make them as low as reasonable but still higher than anywhere you don't want them to sleep.

Where to put them horizontally? Basically where roosts and droppings board are out of your way. You need to be able to get to your nests, feed and water, and maybe a pop door without running into them. That's typically on a wall far from your door. The roost needs to be a minimum of 12" from the wall and the droppings board needs to extend form the wall to 12" past your roosts. If you use a double roost you need 12" between roosts. That would make your droppings board 36" wide. Any wider than that an it could be challenging to clean it.

 

[aart]

Here's some other thoughts on heights:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/