Position of perch from parallel wall and resulting manure box dimensio

[tsmith6790]

My name is Terry Smith. My wife Cheryl and I are newbies, building our first coop, a protable one with the run underneath. I am Obsessive Compulsive by nature and over-engineer everything. We have the only trashcan bin in town that can survive a nuclear blast. We have taken a coop design off the web and researced every aspect we could, e.g. we believe the perch should be made of 2x lumber with the corners rounded. If there is more than one perch they should be on the same level. However, there are some questions that we cannot find any answer to, or any consistent answer to and I am approaching this, completely in error no doubt, from the standpoint of human ergonomics.

Assumptions:
1. Max chicken height is 18". So perch and Nest Box Module will be at least that distance from the floor to maximize the floor space beneath.
2. Viewed from the side, chickens are square:
- If they are 18" high, then they are about 18" long,
- the feet are at the mid-point or 9" from front or back, and
- the vent is halfway or 4.5" behind the feet.
3. Chickens don't always face the same direction when roosting.
4. These 3 suggest the following further assumptions:
- The minimum distance between the perch and the nearest parallel wall would be greater than 9" but how much we can't find out.
- If chickens poop straight down, the width of a manure box would be > 4.5" on either side of the center-line of the perch (feet - vent = 4.5")
- If chickens employ projectile pooping, then the width of the manure box underneath would need to be much wider.

Here are the questions:
1. Assuming some standard hens, what is the minimum distance from the center-line of the perch to the nearest parallel wall?

2. If I have a 4' x 6' coop with the perch on one 6' side and the Nest Box Modules on the other, should the perch and the NBM (bottom of) be at the same level?

3. IF not, what is the optimal relationship? There is plenty of space vertically.

4. What is the minimum width of a manure box running underneath and parallel to the perch in terms of distance on either side of the centerline of said perch (see assumption about chickens not all facing same direction while roosting), and assuming you want to capture 90% of said poop.

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Terry and Cheryl Smith

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I do not use a poop board or manure box, so I can not help you with that one. I can help you with a couple of your other questions.

You will want your roosts to be higher than your nest boxes. As chickens like to roost in the highest spot, this will keep them from roosting in or on top of your nest boxes.

I placed my roost 18" from the wall, as that was the recommendation in my poultry books, way back when I built my garden shed coop. I have never had poop on the wall, although I have heard other people complain of that, with roosts built closer to the wall. If you have a manure box below the roost, that will catch chicken poop, that has a trajectory that is not always straight down, higher up. So, you may be able to go a bit closer to the wall.

I like a 2 x 4 for a roost, with the wider side up. It gets cold here and that allows the chickens to cover all of their toes with feathers, when they crouch down as they roost.

I hope this helps!

 

[patandchickens]

Interesting "consider a spherical cow" approach to the problem, LOL

1. Assuming some standard hens, what is the minimum distance from the center-line of the perch to the nearest parallel wall?

I would not put it closer than 12" as that would seriously interfere with their roosting; 18" is better.

2. If I have a 4' x 6' coop with the perch on one 6' side and the Nest Box Modules on the other, should the perch and the NBM (bottom of) be at the same level?

No, you want the roost *conspicuously* higher than the sill of the nestboxes. I would go for as much difference in height as you can do and still have the chickens be able to get up to the roost (which will be an issue in such a small coop -- you might consider making the nestbox tops flat so the chickens can use them as a step to get up to the roost at night, although this will necessitate some small amount of occasional poo-removal from the nestbox roofs.

4. What is the minimum width of a manure box running underneath and parallel to the perch in terms of distance on either side of the centerline of said perch (see assumption about chickens not all facing same direction while roosting), and assuming you want to capture 90% of said poop.

Well, in a general rather than quantitative sense (i.e. I have never measured what percentage of poo is captured with different width boards, nor confidence intervals on those numbers), I would suggest that your droppings board/pan be centered under the roost and be no narrower than 12" and preferably more like 14-16". Six inches below the roost works for me, but your mileage may vary. Be aware that a certain amount of poo will escape capture no matter what, especially squirty cecal poo.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[sillybirds]

If you build more than one parallel roost, I would make them further apart rather than closer, so they'll be less inclined to peck at each other while roosting (chickens higher on the pecking order seem to love to mess with the lower ones). I would space mine further apart if I were to build it again.

Your assumption on the size of a chicken seems a little on the big side (at least compared to my hens), but the above correct recommendations by others bypass the need for that assumption.

My chickens almost always face the same direction while roosting (away from the nearest end wall), as evidenced by almost all of the poop collecting in rows below and behind each roost. That being said, I'd still build the dropping board to cover both possible sides under the roost.

Here's my set up (it sure isn't shiny and clean anymore!

):

 

[bigoakhunter]

I put my roost's 13" out from wall to center and they ahve worked just fine. My Poop board under it comes from the wall out 16 inches. For whatever reason , even though you would think chickens roost both directions, except for when they just started roosting, 90 % of the time mine roost with hindends facing wall!

 

[elmo]

It's good to try to plan ahead, but here's a suggestion. Try to build in some flexibility to your design, too. Chickens are living creatures and have their own ideas. Despite your best calculations, your chickens may well throw a wrench into the plans once they appear. It will be very useful to be able to move things around inside your coop to suit according to the actual dynamics.

For example, removeable everything: roosts, poop board, and nesting boxes. I use lidded plastic storage bins as nesting boxes and I love 'em. The plastic has no crevices for mites to hide in and is very easy to clean. When I want to replace the bedding (which I do frequently because a friend of ours lost some chicks to mites last summer), I can simply take the bin over to the composter and dump it out. I have broody hens right now, and the moveable nestboxes make it a snap to put move the hen into isolation. I don't have to disturb her from her nest, I simply move the box with the hen and eggs inside to where I want it to go.

 

[tsmith6790]

To:Woodland Woman, Patandchickens, Sillybirds, BigoakHunter and Elmo

Thank you so much for taking time to share your expertise with such consistent answers. Here is what we think you told us relative to the questions about perch location and manure box dimensions:

1. Chickens want to roost as high as possible. The perch should be conspicuously higher than the sill of the nest box module. However, you can use the top of the nest boxes as a perch or as a step to help the chickens get to the perch. Multiple perches should be at the same level, but separated by enough space to prevent chickens on one perch from pecking those on another.

2. The books that give a recommendation regarding the distance the perch should be from the wall all say 18". You folks cite experience indicating this can be as little 13" without interfering with roosting. However, at this minimum distance you may get poop on the walls as a trade-off.

3. Most chickens (90%) face away from the wall behind the perch, so most manure will be found on the floor between the line of the perch and the wall. However, chickens do not poop straight down so we need to assume manure may show up in front of the perch for some distance, say a max of 6". The higher the perch the wider the poop dispersion. Manure boards seem more popular than manure boxes with hardware cloth over the litter.

4. 2x4 lumber appears to be the perch of choice, but we should consider mounting the 2x4 wide side up so that the chickens can cover their feet in cold weather while roosting .

5. Make everything movable. The chickens have their own ideas about what the ideal layout may be. Use plastic bins in the nest boxes for all kinds of good reasons.

Patandchickens raised an issue I had not thought about. In a 6'x4' coop with the nest boxes on one long side and the perch on the other, is there enough horizontal space between them for a chicken to fly up to a perch 24" off the floor.How much horizontal space does a chicken need for takeoff?

I will post picture of Chery's Coop as soon as it is done. This of course means we have to have a dry weekend in Nashville. You may have noticed on the news that that has been a rarity around here.

Thanks again,

Terry

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Oh, if your roosts are only 2' high then that's not so much of an issue, as long as they have 2-3' clear in front of the roost they'll be able to get up there and down again without hitting the walls

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[tsmith6790]

Thanks Pat, your answer means I don't have to redesign the coop, especially since I have alread built the run which is the base for the henhouse. We are having fun, sitting outside with the chickens is better than anything on TV.

Thanks again,

Terry

 

[cicknmama]

If you build more than one parallel roost, I would make them further apart rather than closer, so they'll be less inclined to peck at each other while roosting (chickens higher on the pecking order seem to love to mess with the lower ones).  I would space mine further apart if I were to build it again. 


Your assumption on the size of a chicken seems a little on the big side (at least compared to my hens), but the above correct recommendations by others bypass the need for that assumption.


My chickens almost always face the same direction while roosting (away from the nearest end wall), as evidenced by almost all of the poop collecting in rows below and behind each roost.  That being said, I'd still build the dropping board to cover both possible sides under the roost.


Here's my set up (it sure isn't shiny and clean anymore! /img/smilies/smile.png):

Hi, I know this is an old post, but I love your set up. My coop is finished and im in the plannimg stage for the inside. Would love to get dimensions from you. Mostly the height and distance between perches and wall. Thank you!