Roost height for pullets

[swamphiker]

I'm about to build a temporary coop for my pullets who will be ready to live outside full time in ~2 weeks. I have an established flock so I will be putting together a temporary coop for the pullets (and probably a cockerel or two) to sleep in until they are big enough to fully integrate with my adult hens. Is it okay to put roosts for 6-week-old pullets 1-2 ft off the ground? I imagine they will be able to hop up there by that age but now I am doubting myself. No bantams and no fancy breeds; they are wyandottes, australorps, easter eggers, production reds etc.

 

[saysfaa]

My australorps were flying up 4 feet to roost starting at about 6 and a half weeks. I can't remember if they went straight up then or if they went to the top of a five gallon pail as a step on the way for a while longer.

 

[CoconutCoffee]

My roosts are about that high and mine could get up just fine when around 6 weeks. They wouldn't stay up there though. They're a mix of wyandottes, langshan, olive eggers, etc.

 

[Lizzy733]

Height wouldn't be so important right now unless you're specifically trying to train them to a higher roost in adulthood. Feathered pullets are quite agile and can handle heights quite well as they have not reached adult weight. Do be aware that heavy breeds, like wyandotte, will have trouble with high perches once they reach their adult size.

My big girl can make the 3' jump to the chicken porch to go into our raised coop for the night, but it takes some effort and consideration on her part to line that up and she prefers to take the ramp back down. Adding ramps at an appropriate angle in the final coop design will allow your bigger girl more options, will benefit your flock when they are older, injured (bumblefoot anyone?) or if you do decide to get one of the more vertically challenged breeds.

Heavy breeds can injure themselves jumping from high perches constantly, so it's just good forward thinking to plan for this sort of thing ahead of time.

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm about to build a temporary coop for my pullets who will be ready to live outside full time in ~2 weeks. I have an established flock so I will be putting together a temporary coop for the pullets (and probably a cockerel or two) to sleep in until they are big enough to fully integrate with my adult hens. Is it okay to put roosts for 6-week-old pullets 1-2 ft off the ground? I imagine they will be able to hop up there by that age but now I am doubting myself. No bantams and no fancy breeds; they are wyandottes, australorps, easter eggers, production reds etc.

I have four 4.5 week old chickies and found today that they can fly over their 2' high wall to their pen, mama hopped up and over and the four babes followed!!!

2 of them a silkie x barnyard mix, they had no problem bopping up there and over and high tail it Out of the Hen House hahahaha!

 

[swamphiker]

Height wouldn't be so important right now unless you're specifically trying to train them to a higher roost in adulthood. Feathered pullets are quite agile and can handle heights quite well as they have not reached adult weight. Do be aware that heavy breeds, like wyandotte, will have trouble with high perches once they reach their adult size.

My big girl can make the 3' jump to the chicken porch to go into our raised coop for the night, but it takes some effort and consideration on her part to line that up and she prefers to take the ramp back down. Adding ramps at an appropriate angle in the final coop design will allow your bigger girl more options, will benefit your flock when they are older, injured (bumblefoot anyone?) or if you do decide to get one of the more vertically challenged breeds.

Heavy breeds can injure themselves jumping from high perches constantly, so it's just good forward thinking to plan for this sort of thing ahead of time.

Thank you for the informative response! I will keep this in mind; I should be able to incorporate several roost heights and a ramp once I've integrated everyone in a couple of months.

 

[rosemarythyme]

2 week old chicks can get over a 2' fence so no reason 6 week olds can't get up to a 2' roost.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm about to build a temporary coop ........ Is it okay to put roosts for 6-week-old pullets 1-2 ft off the ground?......No bantams and no fancy breeds; they are wyandottes, australorps, easter eggers, production reds etc.

My brooder-raised chicks often do not start sleeping on the roosts until they are 10 to 12 weeks of age. They will play on the roosts during the day at a much younger age so they can get up there but usually don't try sleeping up there until they are older. I have had some start to sleep up there by 5 weeks, some take longer than 12 weeks, but 10 to 12 is a good average.

I've had a broody hen take her 2-week-old chicks to my 5' high roosts. They did use the top of my nests as an intermediate stop but that meant adding a few feet horizontal to their flight path. With your breeds it is not a question of "can" they get up there, it is a question of do they "want to".

I'm not sure what your plans are for this temporary coop. If it is only to house these chicks until you integrate them I don't see that the height of the roosts is important at all. I like having a second coop that I can use for integration, as a grow-out coop, an emergency place if I need to separate chickens for behaviors, or to put an injured chicken. I don't isolate my broody hens for incubating or hatching but many people do. Having something I can use like that greatly increases my flexibility if I have to respond to a problem. If you do that you may want to put a nest in there fairly low and make sure your roosts are higher than the nests to discourage them from sleeping in the nests if you have chickens in there at laying age.

I would want a section of run tied to this coop so your chicks can eventually get outside where the other chickens can see them. The look but don't touch part of integration. That can make your integration much easier.

 

[swamphiker]

Thanks @Ridgerunner for the thoughtful response! This temporary coop will indeed be connected to a run for the pullets so that the established hens and the new pullets can see but not touch. The temporary coop is adjacent to the existing coop, so I will be combining the two coops once the new girls are big enough but leaving myself the option of dividing the coops again so I have that option when I need it in the future.