Roost design

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I have never used a ramp, y girls just fly up, the roosts are waist high on me.

They may "age out" of not needing a ramp... some of my older girls find steps higher than when they were younger (as do i, sadly)

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Boy, that sure is the truth. I built 5 next boxes for 23 chickens, and they used 3. I now have 14 and they use 2, sometimes two hens squeeeese into one nest. What can I say,
low IQ.

Sometimes you'll find there was a reason some boxes are preferred.

I have seen these reasons result in a nest being unwanted:

1. A nest of bugs had sprung up in the pile of DE that was under the box (kinda the opposite of my goal in putting DE down) and we're climbing into the nest.
2. "Someone" was sleeping in the nest and leaving poo in it (who wants to lay a baby in a pile of someone else's poo??)
3. "Someone" had cracked an egg in the nest, and the part that was not eaten was now stinky. (They definitely have a sense of smell! and rotten egg smells bad.)
4. The preferred nest was not in line with the door. (Nests that are too visible or accessible to predators are not used)
5. Early on I read somewhere you should spread a layer of DE in the nest under the straw. (Seems it is itchy and uncomfortable on naked bum skin, because those nests were not used.)
6. The nest the first morning hen has put an egg into is the one all the others want to lay into. I suspect they want a brooding hen to sit on their eggs so they clutch them to increase chances of being hatched. Note that a smart broody hen will hide herself a clutch and then sit her own eggs because she is wise to this tactic. I overcome this by putting a duck egg in each in nest I want them to use. Thy are basically unbreakable so I prevent the "snack-time" egg pecking. I swap out the eggs with each morning's duck eggs. I have tried plastic eggs, the hens laughed at me and kept rolling them out of the nest box. eventually I just stopped putting them in the nest box... Now they gather dust on a shelf...

 

[3KillerBs]

I have never used a ramp, y girls just fly up, the roosts are waist high on me.

Some breeds and some individuals are better flyers than others. I had a Light Brahma who could barely clear 18" even when powerfully motivated by the idea that someone else was getting a treat she wasn't sharing.

Sometimes you'll find there was a reason some boxes are preferred.

Like the time I found that my hens had suddenly abandoned the previously-preferred end nest, went to redistribute the golf balls (which the broody hens are always stealing), and found a blacksnake under the nest bedding.

No wonder they didn't want to lay there.

I have tried plastic eggs, the hens laughed at me and kept rolling them out of the nest box.

Speaking of golf balls,

I like them for nest eggs because they are inexpensive (golf resort area so used balls are readily available in thrift stores and at yard sales), weighty enough to not be easily kicked out, and I can tell them by touch when rooting around under a broody who would be biting me if I weren't holding her head.

 

[Betsy57]

Forgive me for the constant questions on things but I am trying to get everything ready for my first batch of chickens in the spring....my coop is a renovated farm shed/barn that I have busted my rear trying to get ready. LOL Anyway I am almost to the finish line...my auto door arrives this week and I will start on the interior with the bedding and such. I have been looking for roost ideas and have gotten some from here but I ran across this when digging around...is there any pros or cons to this design? It would actually work fantastic for my setup being that it is a rectangular shape but I thought there had to be higher bars for the bosses to get on? Thanks in advance!!

Don't see any ventilation

 

[ladlo57]

Forgive me for the constant questions on things but I am trying to get everything ready for my first batch of chickens in the spring....my coop is a renovated farm shed/barn that I have busted my rear trying to get ready. LOL Anyway I am almost to the finish line...my auto door arrives this week and I will start on the interior with the bedding and such. I have been looking for roost ideas and have gotten some from here but I ran across this when digging around...is there any pros or cons to this design? It would actually work fantastic for my setup being that it is a rectangular shape but I thought there had to be higher bars for the bosses to get on? Thanks in advance!!

One thing I did was hung a tarp under the roost to catch the poop. I fashioned it to come to a point in the front like a funnel over a 5 gallon bucket. I hung it on eyelets using carabiners if I wanted to clean it off. So easy to clean and keeps the floor underneath cleaner.

 

[kmk]

Do they take a bath before bed? How come no one climbs up on the roost with mucky feet?

I use deep litter, maybe that helps to keep their tootsies clean. Now that I think about it though, the ramp going up to the coop is pretty disgusting.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I use deep litter, maybe that helps to keep their tootsies clean. Now that I think about it though, the ramp going up to the coop is pretty disgusting.

You gave then a welcome mat on which to wipe their feet! . Very smart!

 

[Quadzilla32]

So it’s hit or miss but this is all of them on the same roosting bar. Generally if they are all up there is a pretty tight fit. Two of them are also only 16 weeks old, so still growing. Should I just let them sort it out or possibly raise the lower bar to be the same height as the other one or at night take a couple off the top and put them on the lower? One thing I did notice is that the lower bar is kind of close to the other bar so I might make the SS wider so I can make the lower bar farther away. If the birds turned their backs to one another they would fit and still be over the SS, but being stubborn they all like to face that one direction.

 

[aart]

Should I just let them sort it out

Yes.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Should I just let them sort it out or possibly raise the lower bar to be the same height as the other one or at night take a couple off the top and put them on the lower?

I'd let them decide where they want to be. My birds mostly insist on packing onto one roost (I have them laddered as well) but it doesn't usually cause any issues.