Roost help...

[cvstable]

My dad came down from AK and built me a great coop (in MS now), I have the nest boxes built, but looking for ideas on roosts. What does everyone use to hold roost rods up? Make their own or buy them? How high should they be? I have seen several heights recommended for different ages..

 

[Alaskan]

Depends also on how heavy your chickens are/ how well they fly.

My Marans like the two foot high perches, my little bantams like the five foot high ones. I try to have landing spots so they only have to go up or down in two or three foot increments.

I greatly, greatly, enormously, recommend perches that are close to 4 inches wide so that you don't get frost bite on the toes.

I also really like poop trays (lots of threads on here about poop trays)


Other than that......

Perches should:

- Be higher than your nest boxes
- Have enough head space, for a standard size breed that is about a min. of 16 inches, but if they are flying up to the perch, then two feet.
- not have any wind blowing on the perches in the winter (but venting is very important)

 

[cvstable]

Thanks! I have LF Orps, I guess I will try a couple heights. What do you suggest to use to hold the larger rods up? I am jealous you live in the Kenai, one of my favorite places in the world. Make it up there at least once a year

 

[chiknhurder]

I have two 2x6 boards at a 45 degree angle (approx.) and 2x4 roosting boards in between that are attached to the 2x6's using joist hangers so the boards can be lifted right out for cleaning. Just be sure they are higher than your next boxes.

 

[4 the Birds]

My dad came down from AK and built me a great coop (in MS now), I have the nest boxes built, but looking for ideas on roosts. What does everyone use to hold roost rods up? Make their own or buy them? How high should they be? I have seen several heights recommended for different ages..

Landscape timbers are really nice for roost bars. They are rounded on the edges, nice and wide and cheap (about 3 bucks for an 8 ft long timber).

You can simple nail or screw a scrap wood block to the wall to support your roost bar (wood block shown with red arrow). Don't make your roost bars too high but higher than the nest boxes. Mine have a ramp up to the bars and most of the bars have a poop table/board below them. VERY nice to have since the boards seem to collect most all of the poop within the coop and those are scraped clean daily. Hope this helps!

 

[cvstable]

Great idea! I have some already that I can use! Thank you for the picture, that helps a lot!