Mountain Ledge coop 95% done - advice needed

[aart]

why a light from 3-8 a.m. Is that to get them an additional 5 hours of light during shorter winter days?

Yes, so they will continue laying thru the winter, but you don't want to do that in a crowded coop.

 

[jthornton]

Also, I think that only works well with production layers. Seems to have not much effect on heritage breeds like RIR. Mine are laying at 32% in the middle of the summer!

JT

 

[Folly's place]

My birds are also not pleased with the heat!
Mary

 

[aart]

Also, I think that only works well with production layers. Seems to have not much effect on heritage breeds like RIR. Mine are laying at 32% in the middle of the summer!

JT

Eh.... it can be a crap shoot between duration and increasing/decreasing.
and they do need to molt.

 

[jthornton]

Eh.... it can be a crap shoot between duration and increasing/decreasing.
and they do need to molt.

They all have molted once and one is molting now...

JT

 

[NHMountainMan]

Sorry to keep coming back to this thread for advice. I'm planning on building the poop boards and improved roosting configuration this weekend.
In the attached pic - 6 birds, the BO and NH, are roosting on the round stair rail roosting bar on the right hand side (approx. 3' from the coop floor). The other 6 - RSR and BR, are roosting on the 2x6 cross beam I'd hung simply to hang food and water from (approx. 6.5' from floor). So I'm planning on placing the poop boards down each side out 22" about 2 1/2 feet off the floor. And another poop board above he netting box (in the pic - straight ahead, but covered) again - about 2.5'). I'm still figuring out the ramps etc. But as some seem to like roosting up high, perhaps to get the cross breeze in the warm weather?? - should I do another poop board above the nest box, at the 6' level - creating options for them?
Also - planning on covering the poop boards with cheap vinyl flooring Same as on grew floor under the sand. any issue with that?
Planning on building it this weekend (if I can get my son here to so the heavy lifting!!!!)
Thanks again.

 

[Folly's place]

Some of my birds roost in the rafters, eight or nine feet up, and some are on the roosts at three to four feet up. There's lots of space, and they work it out over time.
I don't use poop boards myself, but would comment that you don't want to make it too difficult to move around in there, or for the birds to fly up to their preferred roosts.
Also, will you want to be cleaning a lot of boards often?
Mary

 

[aart]

They will roost as high as possible, but they don't need to roost that high.
Put the roosts where you want them to roost, remove or block anything higher.
My roosts are maybe 44" high, fine for them and easy for me to reach them for exams.

 

[jthornton]

Also, will you want to be cleaning a lot of boards often?

I clean mine every morning, takes less than a minute (Sweet PDZ + kitty litter scoop) and if I see one flying bug the roost area gets closed off and sprayed.

JT

 

[jthornton]

So I'm planning on placing the poop boards down each side out 22" about 2 1/2 feet off the floor. And another poop board above he netting box (in the pic - straight ahead, but covered) again - about 2.5'). I'm still figuring out the ramps etc.

Poop board width depends on how far they are from the roost and what size chickens you have. Not all poop falls straight down, some comes out with some velocity! I would go 24" wide at a minimum with the roost down the center. I made mine 30" with the roost 12" above the poop board and 6" boards around the poop board to contain the Sweet PDZ.

But as some seem to like roosting up high, perhaps to get the cross breeze in the warm weather??

For chickens height = safety, I've watched my neighbors free ranging chickens at sundown fly up to the lowest branch in a tree and hop/fly from branch to branch until they get way up there. If you don't have a place to roost at 6' they won't try. If you have exposed rafters some may want to roost up there. It's up to you to control where they roost.

The first night my pullets slept in the so called coop I copied from the net they were looking for all kinds of places up high to roost including the roof of the coop. I had to use some cardboard to block off a couple of rafters in the run for a while until they had the roost place printed in their brain.

JT