Please - Ideas to improve my roosting situation? *PICS*

[mrsgibber]

I have a coop that is 6 ft at the peek so the roost is about 4 ft off the ground. The nest boxes are about a foot lower. My concern is that my girls (all but the poor silkie) managed to get up to the high roost using the lower roost I put in for them to use while they were young. Once up there some of them couldn't figure out how to get down. I wonder if it is too high and they'll get hurt. Here are some pictures. I'm wondering if I should add a ramp, ladder or lower corner roost to help them out or am I worrying too much?

Here is a pic of the lower roost and the higher roost. Poor silkie was stuck on the lower one all night by herself.

High roost and nest boxes.

Any suggestions?

 

[Chicks R Friends NOT Food]

I think I would add a ramp.

 

[DarkWolf]

Space is cramped with the nest boxes so close. If possible, drop the nest boxes down or move them to another wall.

 

[mrsgibber]

Quote:
Unfortunately I can't move the nest boxes since they were built with outside egg doors. I didn't build this...we bought it this way. I think the problem is that it is cramped for flying down. They did better before I covered their nests and they would hop down to those and then the floor but they were also roosting/pooping in them.

 

[patandchickens]

The problem is that chickens are not elevators or even helicopters - they need/want to come down from the roost at a 45 degree angle or less. With a high roost in the center of a small coop, this is not so possible.

Can you move the roost closer to a wall, so they have better jumping-out space in the opposite direction? And/or lower the roost. I understand your concern about the nestboxes but suspect that with the curtains hanging there it'd be a much less appealing place to roost so lower roost bar might really be worth a try. Probably in combination with further-towards-one-side.

They don't usually use ladders or ramps to go *downwards*, unfortunately. Although a lower platform/shelf they could hop down onto as an intermediate step might get use.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[mrsgibber]

I wish I knew more at the time I bought the coop. These people said that it is the same design they used when they started with a smaller flock and they are still taking orders for people to make more.

I was thinking of just what you said...adding a platform mid way for them to hop down onto from the roost. I was thinking a kiddie corner shelf over the chicken door (seen in the pic).

Some of the birds are getting down from the high roost, but it just doesn't seem like all that much fun for the poor things. I could lower the roost too I suppose but they really seem to like being way up there. If I did, how much lower would you sugguest? Lower than the bottom of the nest boxes perhaps?

Thanks Pat.