perch & ladder question for heavy breeds

[6of6chicks]

I need advice from the experienced folks! The perches in my coop are at about 2 feet (both identical) and I have buff orpingtons. I have read that perches should be set at about 18" for heavy breeds to avoid bumblefoot. My girls clearly want to perch higher, though, based on the nightly squabbles over the higher ledge in the rafters.

If I move the perch UP and build them a ladder, will they use it? Or will they just fly off the perch to the floor of the coop? They're already heavy and make a pretty good thump when they land from 2 feet, and I don't want to risk injury by raising the perch higher just to make them happy.

Should I leave the perches at 2 feet? Or should I lower it to 18" to be safe? That's still over a foot higher than the nest boxes (which are 4" off the floor), so I'm not too worried they will try to sleep in there.

Advice is greatly welcome! Thanks!

 

[Y N dottes]

don't lower it, they will be fine with a 2 foot roost. u can try raising the roosts and seeing if they use the ladder, then adjust it back if they aren't using it. or u can leave them at 2 feet, your chickens won't be any worse off for it

 

[krista74]

I have a couple of Orpies, and some big RIR's as well. When I first got them none of them would use the roost. Instead, they would huddle in a pile on the floor of the coop - and they were a good 5 months old at that point!

I wondered if my roost was too high for such big birds - it was about 2 feet off the ground at the time, and if they ever managed to get up for a look, there was a big thump when they jumped down! Also, it seemed that they couldn't all get up at once, due to lack of wing-flapping space I ended up deciding to put in extra roosts at varying heights.

The design is sort of like a ladder, but it's about six or seven feet wide. There are three levels to roost on, with the first one starting only about 6 inches off the ground. It's nearly 3 inches deep so they can get a good footing and sit flat on their feet if they choose to do so.

The second roost is about a foot higher than the first roost. It too is about three inches deep, and flat.

The third roost remains at about 2 feet high. It is a natural tree branch and is about two inches in diameter. That's where they all sleep now

Within an hour of installing the new set-up, ALL seven birds were up the highest level and conducting an inspection! It was the first night EVER that they all slept in the roost! I watched them carefully and there was very little wing-flapping - they simply hopped from one level to the next.

In my opinion, the first roost I had was simply too high for such big birds. And with all the wing-flapping going on, they couldn't all get up there at once as they knocked each other off in the process!

The extra space and the small jumps between roosts seems to be working well. Best of all, I don't have to listen for the 'thump' as they drop to the floor!

I'm not an expert by any means, but this worked for my flock. Good luck! Krista

 

[6of6chicks]

I have a couple of Orpies, and some big RIR's as well. When I first got them none of them would use the roost. Instead, they would huddle in a pile on the floor of the coop - and they were a good 5 months old at that point!

I wondered if my roost was too high for such big birds - it was about 2 feet off the ground at the time, and if they ever managed to get up for a look, there was a big thump when they jumped down! Also, it seemed that they couldn't all get up at once, due to lack of wing-flapping space I ended up deciding to put in extra roosts at varying heights.

The design is sort of like a ladder, but it's about six or seven feet wide. There are three levels to roost on, with the first one starting only about 6 inches off the ground. It's nearly 3 inches deep so they can get a good footing and sit flat on their feet if they choose to do so.

The second roost is about a foot higher than the first roost. It too is about three inches deep, and flat.

The third roost remains at about 2 feet high. It is a natural tree branch and is about two inches in diameter. That's where they all sleep now

Within an hour of installing the new set-up, ALL seven birds were up the highest level and conducting an inspection! It was the first night EVER that they all slept in the roost! I watched them carefully and there was very little wing-flapping - they simply hopped from one level to the next.

In my opinion, the first roost I had was simply too high for such big birds. And with all the wing-flapping going on, they couldn't all get up there at once as they knocked each other off in the process!

The extra space and the small jumps between roosts seems to be working well. Best of all, I don't have to listen for the 'thump' as they drop to the floor!

I'm not an expert by any means, but this worked for my flock. Good luck! Krista

Thank you, this was so helpful! It sounds like yours use the ladder to also climb down? That was my main worry - that they'd use the ladder to climb up there, but then do gigantic belly flops off the 'high board' when they wanted to get down (and defeat the whole idea of the ladder).

My girls are still young (6 1/2 weeks) so they have no problem flying to the 2 ft. perches. That may be because I gave them a baby roost (about 6 inches with steps) to practice with, and they would jump from the baby perch to the real perch. Now they just fly right up there. However - that may change when they are full grown. They have a nightly shoving match over their sleeping spots and they already knock each other off. I can definitely see them having problems when they are full size, and I don't want it escalating into full blown fights! (Right now they just shove and yell at each other, but settle down after about 10 minutes).

I think I'm going to give the ladder a try. Luckily it shouldn't be too hard to build - I've already got an idea in my head that should work for my coop. And, if it turns out they don't climb down like I want then I can always remove it and lower the perch back down (although I might have a mutiny on my hands if I do!

).

Thanks again!

 

[krista74]

Yes, my birds do use the lower roosts to climb down - they never jump anymore. This is helped by the fact that every roost is the same width - so it's sort of logical that they would step down instead of jump over the other two rows. It's my very own backyard version of stadium seating, basically!

My Orpies and RIR's are full grown now, and are quite a size to behold. They don't fly much. When they flap their wings they can travel a couple of feet in distance but get very little height out of it. I really don't think they would be able to get their massive weights 2 feet off the ground upwards!

I know that by putting in such a low roost (with the bottom rung being 6" off the ground) is probably not advised by most people. That being said, I have spent so many sleepless nights worrying about my flock - their food, their coop, their behaviour, their health - and I'm convinced that this is not the way chicken-owning should be. It is meant to be a joy for everyone involved, including the birds!

With that in mind, whilst I always seek the advice and opinions of others, if it's not a matter of life and death I trust in myself to provide well for my girls. They are dry, they have a varied diet, they free range when possible, and they are in a clean environment. If they need steps to get into bed at night, I'm ok with that! As long as they are happy and not breaking their legs jumping down, all is well

Good luck with the build! I hope you get as much enjoyment from your birds as I do from mine Krista