Redesigning Roost bars prior to new chicks merge

[the ladies mom]

I have 8 mixed breed layers and will be adding 14 new ladies in a couple of weeks. They will be 12 weeks old. They are sharing the run and free ranging together now just not sleeping in coop together. They have their own very large grow out pen next door.

I have enough space for all of them roosting but would like to change to a side by side arrangement with a poop hammock vs a ladder set up. I have been told the side by side causes less fights. Thought would shake it all up at once.

I use 2 X 4 with wide side up. I was thinking - 18 inches from back wall of coop and 18 inches between the rails (measured on center). All of this about 3 feet off ground with a rail to jump up. How does that sound? I will give them 12 inches per bird of roost.

Any ideas or comments - should that work????

Composition of flock:
old- 2 sex linked. 1 americana, 2 barred rock, 3 turkens,

new - 6 sex linked, 2 marans, 2 polish (rooster and hen - for fun), 4 americanas

Thank you so much for help. If dimensions are too generous - let me know. I have a large coop but space is always an issue. They only sleep in there and wait for me to let them out. I have 8 nest boxes.

 

[Mrs. K]

I changed my roosting and I was quite happy with it, because it changed the moisture build up big time.

I moved mine so that they were away from the walls and the ceiling, and mine are about all the same level. I am assuming that 3 feet off the ground is equal to or more than 25 inches from the ceiling. That is what mine are, and my coop stays much drier because their breath does not build up on the ceiling, and their poo stays away from the wall.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

I have 8 mixed breed layers and will be adding 14 new ladies in a couple of weeks. They will be 12 weeks old. They are sharing the run and free ranging together now just not sleeping in coop together. They have their own very large grow out pen next door.

I have enough space for all of them roosting but would like to change to a side by side arrangement with a poop hammock vs a ladder set up. I have been told the side by side causes less fights. Thought would shake it all up at once.

I use 2 X 4 with wide side up. I was thinking - 18 inches from back wall of coop and 18 inches between the rails (measured on center). All of this about 3 feet off ground with a rail to jump up. How does that sound? I will give them 12 inches per bird of roost.

Any ideas or comments - should that work????

Composition of flock:
old- 2 sex linked. 1 americana, 2 barred rock, 3 turkens,

new - 6 sex linked, 2 marans, 2 polish (rooster and hen - for fun), 4 americanas

Thank you so much for help. If dimensions are too generous - let me know. I have a large coop but space is always an issue. They only sleep in there and wait for me to let them out. I have 8 nest boxes.

Makes perfect sense!

12 inches from wall works for my large fowl birds except the roosters sickle feathers rub on the wall and get messy looking, not a big deal IMO. But I only have a single roost over a 24" poop board, tho some birds roost on the edge of the poop board. 12" at the same level might give pecking access....or might not be an issue.

My roost is 8" above the poop board, no overshoots.

 

[song of joy]

This is similar to my set-up and it works very nicely. I leave 15" between the wall and roost bar, and space roost bars approximately 20" apart so birds on one bar cannot reach to peck those on the other bar. Height from floor to roost bar is comfortable for jumping up and down at about 30-36". They may use the rail for getting up, but probably won't use it for jumping down, so I wouldn't go any higher than 36" to avoid the physical stress of repeated landings from roost to floor.

Also, it helps if you can set up two roost areas by leaving a space between them. I have two sets of roost bars, with an 18" space between them, where the pop door is. That way birds can segregate themselves if they don't get along. Sometimes younger birds are not comfortable or welcome roosting next to the older, established ones.

It looks like this.

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[the ladies mom]

Thank you so much. I can separate them by putting the nest boxes between the bars. Do you think that is a reasonable idea? I like your spacing. Seems logical. I was unsure about how high off the ground.

 

[aart]

Make sure you keep nesting boxes lower than roosts or they will roost in the nests and poop them up at night.


Height of roosts depends on size of coop....my roost board is about 36 inches from the floor, but my coop is only 6 feet wide....
......we had some crashes into the wall until I put up a ramp to a platform about 16-18 inches high.