Roost placement in small coop?

impius

Hatching
Jan 5, 2016
8
0
7
Hi all, I'm new to keeping chickens and trying to learn and do things the right way before I get my chicks. I am building a chicken tractor where the coop is 4'x4'x4'. I am reading conflicting info on roost placement in the coop. I am thinking I should do two roost spanning the 4 feet. My questions are:

1. at what height (from the coop floor) should the roosts be? Can chickens jump/fly to a higher roost in such a small space?

2. Should both roost be at different heights or is same height acceptable, if same height is ok, could reaching the height be a problem?

3. Is it acceptable to make the roost perpendicular rather than parallel? Benefit of one over the other?

4. Am I over thinking this?
hu.gif



Thank you!
 
No, you're not over thinking at all. Proper roost placement will help ensure your birds are happy and healthy.

Your coop is big enough for about 3 standard size hens so a single roost that spans the full 4 foot width will do. Place it higher than the nest box and out of the direct path of any vents and you should be good. A 2x4 placed wide side up makes a fine roost for standard sized hens.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, I thought the general rule of thumb was 4 square feet per hen? If that is the case couldn't I fit 4? I see some folks say 2 square feet per hen if they free range. The run on the tractor is 40 square feet.

Thanks again.
 
Thanks, I thought the general rule of thumb was 4 square feet per hen? If that is the case couldn't I fit 4? I see some folks say 2 square feet per hen if they free range. The run on the tractor is 40 square feet.

Thanks again.
Only if those 4 are medium sized, Leghorn type breeds. Dual-purpose brown layers are bigger, and therefore need a bit more room.
 
Last edited:
I assumed the 4x4x4 dimension included the nest box area. Nesting area shouldn't be included when measuring square footage. If a feeder and waterer are taking up space inside the coop that further reduces available square footage.
 
Oh ok, I would be going with a small or medium breed. If I have 4 small/medium hens, how does that impact my original roost questions?
Thanks
 
Sorry, nesting boxes, water and feeder do not take up space in the 16 square feet.
 
What is the layout of your 4x4 area? Is the birds' access to the coop through the floor or through a wall?

If you follow the recommended placement of roosts at least 1 foot from the wall that will allow a 2 foot space for them to jump up to and off of the roosts. I wouldn't go any closer than that. As for height? That depends on vent and nest box placement.

Pics would be helpful.
 
What is your climate?
That can have an impact....but really, 4sqft per bird is a bare minimum in my experience.

ETA: TalkALittle makes a good point....
....you might be able to fit 2 roosts in there but then they wouldn't have room to get up and down from them.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom