Newbie Roost Q: Please weigh in.

[ninabeast]

Building our first coop and finalising the plan.

Q: If you would like to have a double row of roosts (one higher than the other), how far apart do they need to be? Will the girls poop on each other? Is there some kind of chicken law where they sleep all facing the same direction, or with their backs to the wall or whatnot?

Thanks!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I'm building mine on one level. That way every one will have the top roost, and no one will get pooed on. I am planning on a maximum space for eighteen. And allowing one linear foot plus a little extra per bird. But I know they will all scoot together shoulder to shoulder. but they will need the room to decide. Also making a couple of landing spots and or ramps to get up there. My real coop construction wont be starting for about another month.

 

[ninabeast]

Thanks! How far from the wall will you place the closest roost? And how far out from the first roost will you place the second? Great to have feedback!

 

[gryeyes]

No roosting rule about directions they roost; they will face different directions. Senior birds get higher roosts. That is, those higher in rank in the pecking order.

Your roosts should be at least 12 inches away from any wall, maybe more if there are any fancy tail feathers. And the same distance from any lower roost.

 

[thechickonthehill]

Quote:
Well, one "chicken law" is that everyone will want to sit on the highest roost!

The lower one will just be used as a step to get them up to the higher one. The roost I made is a ladder type roost:

It is about 4 inches off the back wall. If I had to do it again I would put it about 6 - 8 inches out instead as I have some large hens. The rows are about 12 inches apart (measuring down at an angle). I haven't noticed that anyone gets pooped on, but then most of them roost on the highest row.

 

[ninabeast]

Interesting roost system, chickenonthehill! I will bring to the attention of the architect...

 

[Captain Carrot]

I just changed my roost, it was a like a large ladder made from 2X4's. It had 4 roosts but they all wanted to be up at the top. they never pooped on each other, but my ducks liked to sleep under it and they where always filthy in the morning.

They now have a discarded kitchen table, with a couple of narrow planks as roosts. The planks are about 20cm wide and the chickens seam to like it. The planks are elevated off the table by a couple of pieces of 2x4 on each side so that I could get a poop board under. The planks are about a foot or maybe slightly more away from each other.

At the moment some chickens roost on the planks facing away from the wall and the others roost on the 2X4s sitting around the table.

I love it myself, as the ducks don't get pooped on, and I save on cleaning time and bedding as I'm not cleaning out a heap of poop and a wheelbarrow of straw each time I clean the coop. I just remove the poop board, scrape, hose, disinfect, sprinkle with shavings and put it back.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Im going to go about a foot from the wall I could go further. It really depends on the size of your chickens. Thats between roosts too. My coop is giong to be a house with breed partitions in it Each breed is going to get twelve by six space. So I am planning on an overhead roost set up hung on clips for height adjustment an also to drop it to a wall and walk around in there for cleaning. I only just found out that they like their roosts flat too. Lay a two by four flat and that makes something they can "relax" on without having to grip.