Roost placement

[Jay2380]

I am in the finishing steps of building our first coop. I have a 4x8 with 4ft walls(plus another 1ft or so for the gable). It sits 2ft off the ground. Nesting boxes are on the out side on a 4ft end. I am trying to figure out the best layout for the roosting bars so I can utilize all the space inside. I am thinking of putting in a poop board under roosts. We have 7 hens. Should I run one 8fter(length wise) or go 4fters at the oppisit end on the nesting boxes or something else? Thank you for any advise!

 

[DobieLover]

Pictures always help.
This not being a walk-in style coop will make cleaning the boards difficult.

When I had this size coop I ran a roost down the middle running parallel to the 8 ft length and sitting even with the top of the nest boxes.

 

[neo71665]

I have a 8x10 coop. My nest boxes are roll out style mounted to the outside of one 8 foot wall. I have a 10 foot roost on the back wall and another 8 foot one on the other 8 foot wall. Some days my 12 birds will cram in 5 foot section of one of the roosts. Other days they will be scattered across the whole thing.

I do deep liter method and will only do a coop I can walk in. My granny had one of those crawl in coops for her silkies when I was a kid and even then I hated the thing. Her walk in coops was much easier to manage.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's hard to give advice without pictures, but I think that 4 feet might be too short to make poop boards work effectively.

Where is your access door located? Consider which roost placement will make cleaning easier for you.

 

[Sally PB]

It's hard to give advice without pictures, but I think that 4 feet might be too short to make poop boards work effectively.

This is my 4 foot roost. I plan to make a poop board to hang about 8" below it. Can you explain why 4 feet would be too short...? Help me figure this out before I use up all my scrap boards for this project, and wreck a 2x4.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is my 4 foot roost. I plan to make a poop board to hang about 8" below it. Can you explain why 4 feet would be too short...? Help me figure this out before I use up all my scrap boards for this project, and wreck a 2x4.

The problem could be with how much, or, rather, how little, room is left under the poop board.

If it's very low under there the hens might decide to nest there instead of in the boxes and it might be difficult to reach in to clean.

 

[Jay2380]

Here are some pics.

 

[blackdog043]

With the two doors on the front, I would run the roost bar 2 feet off the back wall, with the poop board just above the nest boxes. The poop board should be at least 18 inches above the floor, so no floor space is lost.

 

[3KillerBs]

That's more accessible than most non-walk in coops with the two big doors so @blackdog043's suggestion should work.

Good job putting vents at the top of the gables -- heat and ammonia both rise. But you're probably going to need to add more vents. 7 hens need 7 square feet of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation for their good health.

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters.

 

[Callender Girl]

Thanks for asking this question and to all who answered. Work is just finishing up on an 8-foot-by-4-foot run here, and I have changed my mind about where to put the roost or roosts about a gazillion times.

Mine is also elevated and has a 54-inch "human" door -- at my towering 5'4" stature, I can easily walk in. But it seemed to me that running an 8-foot roost the full length of the coop, then adding a poop board would take up nearly the entire coop.

And, like Jay2380, I sure don't want to waste any lumber at today's prices!