Nesting box, how high from the ground?

[jvls1942]

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Just to be sure because I am that new, roosts are just high places for the chickens to hang out right? I'm still undecided on using either large dowells or actual shelves for them to stand on. Either will do?
Thank you everybody

roosts are where chickens usually go to sleep.. I use about 8 foot 2x4 on edge for chickens and turkeys.

shelves would be expensive to build and you would have to scrape the poop off of them occasionally.. 3" to 4" diam. poles from your woods would work also

I have two types. one has all the roosts at the same level at about 30 inches high.. the other one has the 2x4's starting at a foot from the floor and going up like a stairway every foot to the ceiling.
turkeys like the very high roosts.
hardly nothing sits on the lowest roost..

both roosts are removable for coop cleaning..

 

[crazyhen]

The height that you have your boxes depend on the type of chickens you will have. I have milk crates that are set on the floor for the biggest hens, like brahma and heavy breads and also boxes that are 18 inches off the floor for the others. I fill these part way with shavings. Heavy hens can hurt themselves trying to jump down from to high a nest or roost. My roost are like stair steps 12 inches apart and 12inches higher with each roost. I have three roost the highest being 3 feet from the floor. They jump from the lowest up just like stairs. I use untreated 2x4s. They need to get off the ground to sleep. Hope this helps. Jean

 

[Farmer Brown]

As far as roosts go our girls like the wide side of a 2x4. Got the idea from other BYCr,s seems chickens would rather sit flat foot than grab around a pole? Who knew? Hope this helps.

 

[Woodlit]

Thank you everybody, you all have been a big help. I never would have thought to make them removable for cleaning.

 

[jvls1942]

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I agree with this, but the 2x4 bends after time and as a retired carpenter, I just cannot stand to see a crooked board.

If you watch what a chicken chooses to roost on. duplicate that. for instance, I had two renegade hens who kept sneaking into my shop and roosting on the top of my drill press..

 

[LynneP]

The base of our nest boxes is about 1 ft off the floor with a 4" wide perch in front. We also noticed that the birds preferred to roost over the nest boxes and we added another sheet of OSB for cleanliness. We thought they would use the roosts and they do, but for play, often returning to this shelf to sleep. It holds all 12 comfortably, gives them a wall behind and is draft-free. In fact, we're considering covering our 3 roosts which are the same height, with a sheet of OSB because the hens like it so much. They seem to like to curl their toes over the edge using the rest of the feet flat or if it's cold, tucked fully under their abdominal down. I scrape it every morning with a paint scraper, dumping into a catch bucket, thus removing about 90% of their droppings.

Everything in the coop is fastened with screws. You never know when you will want to remove somethng and replace it.