please critique this old coop!

[mmtillman]

You are gonna love it here!!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Mostly that the way the roost supports slope obliquely down to the floor will a) make it hard for you to reach past, and b) be hard to clean around the oblique angle where they meet the floor.

I am still a bit unclear about the whole roost thing. The chickens all huddle up on these poles? Do they all get on the same one? Do there need to be multiples? If I have. say, 9 chickens, how many bars would you suggest? Do they need to be a minimum length?

They huddle up to each other (more in cold weather) insofar as their social arrangements permit; but some may decide, or it may be decided *for* them by other chickens, that they are supposed to roost in a separate clump. I think it's good to give them enough room to sort themselves out as they wish, rather than potentially forcing uncongenial combinations together.

The highest roost is always the most sought-after so if there is room to make all the roost bars the same height (if there are more than one, that is) then that is by far the best plan. Although if you *have* to use a ladder style arrangement, they will work it out.

Regular size chickens need something like 8-12" roost space per chicken, depending on how much you wish to rely on their willingness to peacefully squish together. So for 9 chickens you wuld need something like 6-9 linear feet of roost space.

Have fun,

Pat​