Pecking order - what is normal?

[DobieLover]

What if I made a t shape roost to add to coop? Make them the same height. Kind stuck this year with the coop. Next year I think I will build a full shed.

And use this coop for free ranging birds and auto door

I have all my roosts at the same level. They are high enough over the poop boards to prevent lowers from getting head shots as they jockey for position on the roost. Some of the lowers will hunker down on the board and I place them on the roost well after dark to prevent them from getting pooped on.
I'm a big fan of "all the same level". There will be no preferences for height that way.

The youngster on the edge of the poop board is only 10.5 weeks old in a flock of 17 month old hens and rooster and 5.5 month old pullets and cockerel. His brother and sister managed to squeeze in next to their mother and she tolerated them this night.

 

[DobieLover]

Thanks to everyone here that replied!
I appreciate the information! Woody was a bit shaky when I held him. I struggle with holding the birds now. They don’t seem to like it. Anyway I put him down and said follow me back to your friends... he did. I am kinda leaning to this one being a rooster.
And maybe building a larger coop next year. This year I could add a T shape roost.
The person who owned this coop had 12 in it. He also upgraded.

At 12 weeks, it should be easy to determine gender for Woody. Post some full body, free standing side view pictures of him either here or start a new thread under the What Breed or Gender is This? forum and you will know for certain.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I have all my roosts at the same level. They are high enough over the poop boards to prevent.

I love your layout! What is the size of your coop?
My husband informed me we could just raise the other perch. It is by the windows. That shouldn’t bother them.
It has hardware cloth and a door to close it.

 

[DobieLover]

I love your layout! What is the size of your coop?
My husband informed me we could just raise the other perch. It is by the windows. That shouldn’t bother them.
It has hardware cloth and a door to close it.

You can click on the My Coop link under my avatar to read the article. Everything that I've finished so far is in there.
The building is 8' x 16' but only 8' x 12' is given over to the birds. The rest houses the nest boxes, chick brooder and some storage.

 

[aart]

Does your roost still look like this:

How old are the chicks here...4-6 weeks?...I don't see any males.

 

[DobieLover]

Does your roost still look like this:

How old are the chicks here...4-6 weeks?...I don't see any males.

@aart, here they are at 11 weeks. Definitely no cockerels.

 

[slordaz]

What if I made a t shape roost to add to coop? Make them the same height. Kind stuck this year with the coop. Next year I think I will build a full shed.

And use this coop for free ranging birds and auto door

T and L didn't work so well, made it hard to get in there to clean, What i did was added old bunk bed ladders to mine that are movable so can clean good, but steady enough as a temp fix until spring, if nobody has any of those they are getting rid of you might get away with ladders or building steps out of pallets that you can move out if you don't have the room to set another roost slightly askew so they don't poop on the lower ones.

 

[aart]

@aart, here they are at 11 weeks. Definitely no cockerels.

That one in front has awfully big and red wattles.<cringe>

 

[DobieLover]

That one in front has awfully big and red wattles.<cringe>

The white barring isn't wide enough to be a cockerel IMO. I think they are all pullets.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Yes that is my coop! And the girls are 12 weeks today!
I believe that picture on the roost that was shown in another post they were 6 weeks.
So today I crawled inside and raised the other roost to be the same height. And watched several birds struggling to get up their without the lower perch.

So I put a cardboard box inside as a launching pad.
That worked.
And they all roosted with little drama. I say little drama! They still had an issue red and dominque but then Red hopped over to the other perch! Nice! Brilliant advice!