Roost Length and Spacing

[venymae]

Hello All, I am still in the planning stage of our chicken house. We will most likely be doing duel purpose birds (such as Orpingtons or Barred Rock). I have several questions about roosts.

1. How much roosting space is necessary per chicken (length of the roosts),
2. How far apart (both in height and width) should we put said roosts? (eg. 12 inches taller and 6 inches over...or whatever!)
3. What is a good starting height for the roosts?
4. Is there a good distance they should be away from nesting boxes to discourage sleeping in the boxes (something my fathers chickens do -and the poop is gross)

Thanks Everyone!

 

[BantamLover21]

Each bird should have 8-12 inches of roosting space. The roosts should be at least 12 inches apart (horizontally), and can be as far apart (vertically) as your coop as room for. Chickens love sleeping high above the ground, and will naturally roost as high as they can.

I'm not sure how far away from the nest boxes your roosts should be. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to encourage chickens to not sleep in nest boxes/other non-roost places. My birds have perfectly good roosts, but some still choose to sleep on shelves or on top of a flat wooden heater cover.

 

[venymae]

Thanks Bantam!

SO I have another question.

How far from ventilation should roosts be? I want to provide lots of ventilation but with our very low roofed coop design so far, I feel that most venting would blow right onto the chickens. Is there a way to prevent this? We get lots of wind here in Kansas, and though great for our hot summers, I worry about winter.