Questions for Bantam Coop

[Aunt Angus]

Hi. I am building coop #2. I need a "grow out" type coop for 3 bantams (2 Silkies and a Sebright). They have a 42 sq ft covered run that I plan to enlarge once they are older. I've searched all over BYC, but gave up after a while and decided to ask here. The grow out coopy-thing will be very small, but it's temporary and only for sleeping.

My question: How much clearance do bantams require over their heads when installing a roost? I have read 2ft of head room is a good starting point for large fowl, but couldn't find anything for bantams. I know Silkies often don't roost, but the Sebright may choose to. Right now, all 3 sleep huddled on the floor of the isolation pen inside the larger coop in a pile, much as I hear Silkies do oftentimes.

Wait... another question: Do I even need a roost if the Sebright shows no inclination?

Thanks in advance!

(PS: I need to know because this will be one of those elevated coops. My larger coop is a walk-in, and I have no idea how to lay out the interior of a small, elevated coop)

 

[cavemanrich]

The important height distance is only factored into ventilation opening, and top of chickens heads. We are talking, cold weather ventilation, when cold draft is an issue. 2 foot distance would be OK.
You are just going to keep the banties in this grow out pen, until they get integrated with main coop flock. It is summer now, and ventilation (draft) is not issue at this time.
You can place roost just so the chickens sitting on it, do not hit their heads on the underside of roof.
Roosts are good to have in a coop, even if not very high off the floor. Chickens stay cleaner dropping the gumdrops overnight, rather than loading them under selves.
Place the roost maybe halfway distance between top and bottom.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is this the only time you will ever use this coop for chickens? How might it be used in the future? What time of the year might you use this coop? How old will the current chicks be when you move them out? Will you need a nest in it? Design for the future, not just today. If you use it to isolate an injured hen in the future, what would you want t to look like?

If I were building a coop (you may want to think of it as a shelter) for three bantams that did not need supplemental heat in Sacramento for the next coupe of months I'd build a box with a sloped roof so water runs off and great ventilation maybe, I'd probably make it two feet high. For a roost I'd put something about 6" above the bedding, if I were not using a droppings board. If there is no nest you don't have to put the roost higher than the nests. If it were actually me building it, I'd make it a lot more flexible than for a one time use.

As long as there is no nest involved this could still work in winter, but you'd need to look at where the ventilation is. It needs to be above heir heads. If you put nest in there, the equation changes. You need room to get the roost above the nests.

Do you even need a roost? Let me answer that this way. Where are they sleeping now? Are they walking around covered with poop? Are there big piles of poop where they are sleeping at night when they got o bed? How big is that pile of poop in the morning when they wake up? As you mentioned some Silkies never roost, though some do. Do the ones that don't roost need to see a psychologist? Use your sense of observation to determine if a roost is necessary. Personal preference is not always the same thing as need. At the same time a roost isn't that hard to put in, just think about how it affects cleaning.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You both answered perfectly, and the figurative lightbulb over my head just popped on. I know exactly what I'm going to do now!

I'll put room for a nest in there (but I don't need it yet) and a ladder-type roost with just a couple of different roosts at 6 in and 12 in. They may want to roost later. They are not poop covered at all when I see them in the morning, which was my biggest concern about them sleeping the way they do. There is a little chick roost in the isolation pen, but they show no interest in sleeping on it.

It's just a temporary thing (hopefully), but I'm confident it will be perfectly sufficient if they end up living in it permanently. If they are able to move into the big coop, I will probably use it as storage in the run.

Thanks!