Roost Please advise

[SchultzWoodworking]

Guess I should’ve posted this before the roost was officially built however at the time there was going to be only ten laying hens and it was figured that there was adequate room for them to sleep...


Then reality sets in and I ended up ordering 20 egg layers of different varieties thinking I’d lose a few (due to this being my first time) however there was only one loss and now I’m left with 19...

Question...do I have enough room to roost? Please advise



The dimensions are:

5’ across

16” from ground up to first level



12” to second & third level



10” to fourth & fifth level




Thanks for your help

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ideally you want 1' per bird so you have that, though my concerns are that the bars are too close together. I think you'd want to aim for minimum 12" from bar to bar (I have about 14" between bars, if I recall) as well as at least 12" from the wall (that top bar may be closer than 12"?) So what I would do here I remove the top bar completely, and move #4 up a few more inches. That'll still give you the 1' per bird and space the new top bar from the others a bit better.

 

[SchultzWoodworking]

Ideally you want 1' per bird so you have that, though my concerns are that the bars are too close together. I think you'd want to aim for minimum 12" from bar to bar (I have about 14" between bars, if I recall) as well as at least 12" from the wall (that top bar may be closer than 12"?) So what I would do here I remove the top bar completely, and move #4 up a few more inches. That'll still give you the 1' per bird and space the new top bar from the others a bit better.

Thanks for the advice... much appreciated

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people suggest 7" per adult bird, some think 15" is the minimum required. I've even seen 24" as a suggestion. In my opinion, each flock is unique and has their own dynamics. I'm not a huge fan of magic numbers as they work like magic for some but not for others. Still, if you look at them as guidelines it gives you a starting place. You may find you need to be a bit flexible as it all plays out no matter where you start.

Chickens tend to want to roost at the highest spot available. That means there will probably be some competition for the top spots. The ones highest in the pecking order get to sleep where they want and can sometimes be pretty brutal when enforcing those pecking order rights. That is actually pretty normal, even with adults. When I have 8 adults on 16' of roost space I see that. As yours go through adolescence and the pecking order changes it could get exciting. I just let mine work it out. As far as mine are not sleeping in the nests and are sleeping somewhere safe from predators I don't care where mine sleep.

A possible issue is how high are your nests. If your lower roosts are higher than the nests you will probably be OK. If your nests are too high they may decide to sleep in the nests instead of on your lowest roosts. Sometimes those pecking order disputes get rough enough that some leave the roosts and look for a safer spot. Time will tell.

I don't know how old yours are. I'd expect as many as can will crowd onto the top roost, with the others arranged below. As they get bigger and the room on top gets tighter, some will be forced down. They may all stay on that ladder roost, or some may look somewhere else as they get forced further down. The layout of your coop could have an effect on that. Or just flock dynamics. With 19 hens and 5' roosts I'd expect all of them to wind up on your top three roosts. Of course, I've been wrong before.

The general recommendation for roosts is that they are horizontally separated from the wall or each other by 12". That's a center-line dimension, not edge to edge. I think your dimensions are elevation, not horizontal, so not sure how close to the "ideal" you are. That 12" gives them plenty of room to position themselves. They can sleep in less. The typical recommendation for vertical separation on a ladder style roost is 12". I'm not sure why. Chickens can easily hop up and out 12" without even flapping their wings though most will spread them. Maybe that has something to do with it. Sometimes a bully will peck down at another chicken, maybe 12" makes it a little harder to do that. Maybe someone just suggested the number, 12" is a standard building dimension, it works, so it became a guideline. I would not worry about your 10" yet, just see what happens.

Bottom line, I think you will be OK as you are, but with living animals you don't get guarantees.. I would not do anything dramatic unless I saw a need. As always with chickens just be flexible and don't worry too much about solving a problem until you know you have a problem.

 

[aart]

I like my roosts where I can easily reach all the birds at night for exams.

 

[CatWhisperer]

To me it’s important to have an easily cleanable poop board. I have PDZ on mine and scoop it every morning. I also have to take my roosts out occasionally to scour the poop off. I sealed them to help make keeping them clean easier.

 

[SchultzWoodworking]

Some people suggest 7" per adult bird, some think 15" is the minimum required. I've even seen 24" as a suggestion. In my opinion, each flock is unique and has their own dynamics. I'm not a huge fan of magic numbers as they work like magic for some but not for others. Still, if you look at them as guidelines it gives you a starting place. You may find you need to be a bit flexible as it all plays out no matter where you start.

Chickens tend to want to roost at the highest spot available. That means there will probably be some competition for the top spots. The ones highest in the pecking order get to sleep where they want and can sometimes be pretty brutal when enforcing those pecking order rights. That is actually pretty normal, even with adults. When I have 8 adults on 16' of roost space I see that. As yours go through adolescence and the pecking order changes it could get exciting. I just let mine work it out. As far as mine are not sleeping in the nests and are sleeping somewhere safe from predators I don't care where mine sleep.

A possible issue is how high are your nests. If your lower roosts are higher than the nests you will probably be OK. If your nests are too high they may decide to sleep in the nests instead of on your lowest roosts. Sometimes those pecking order disputes get rough enough that some leave the roosts and look for a safer spot. Time will tell.

I don't know how old yours are. I'd expect as many as can will crowd onto the top roost, with the others arranged below. As they get bigger and the room on top gets tighter, some will be forced down. They may all stay on that ladder roost, or some may look somewhere else as they get forced further down. The layout of your coop could have an effect on that. Or just flock dynamics. With 19 hens and 5' roosts I'd expect all of them to wind up on your top three roosts. Of course, I've been wrong before.

The general recommendation for roosts is that they are horizontally separated from the wall or each other by 12". That's a center-line dimension, not edge to edge. I think your dimensions are elevation, not horizontal, so not sure how close to the "ideal" you are. That 12" gives them plenty of room to position themselves. They can sleep in less. The typical recommendation for vertical separation on a ladder style roost is 12". I'm not sure why. Chickens can easily hop up and out 12" without even flapping their wings though most will spread them. Maybe that has something to do with it. Sometimes a bully will peck down at another chicken, maybe 12" makes it a little harder to do that. Maybe someone just suggested the number, 12" is a standard building dimension, it works, so it became a guideline. I would not worry about your 10" yet, just see what happens.

Bottom line, I think you will be OK as you are, but with living animals you don't get guarantees.. I would not do anything dramatic unless I saw a need. As always with chickens just be flexible and don't worry too much about solving a problem until you know you have a problem.

Thanks for the great information... my girls are only 2 weeks old so I’ve got time to adjust to anything...
appreciate the time

 

[SchultzWoodworking]

I like my roosts where I can easily reach all the birds at night for exams.

Very unique... I like this

 

[Folly's place]

my birds have choices in several coop locations, and it's been interesting how it works out over time.
Several of them, both bantam and standard sizes, roost eight or nine feet up in the rafters. Others roost on the actual roosts, three or four feet up, in different coop sections. A few youngsters roost on a saw horse, and a very few pick the ladder roost.
Two bantams roost on the top of an opened door between coop sections.
They have many choices, is separate coop sections, and will likely rearrange themselves this winter too.
It does matter that there's enough roost space! Depending on which breeds you have, and their flying abilities, there will be enough room for everyone.
If nobody can reach the rafters, it might be pretty crowded...
Mary

 

[SchultzWoodworking]

my birds have choices in several coop locations, and it's been interesting how it works out over time.
Several of them, both bantam and standard sizes, roost eight or nine feet up in the rafters. Others roost on the actual roosts, three or four feet up, in different coop sections. A few youngsters roost on a saw horse, and a very few pick the ladder roost.
Two bantams roost on the top of an opened door between coop sections.
They have many choices, is separate coop sections, and will likely rearrange themselves this winter too.
It does matter that there's enough roost space! Depending on which breeds you have, and their flying abilities, there will be enough room for everyone.
If nobody can reach the rafters, it might be pretty crowded...
Mary

Thanks Mary for the insight... I’m thinking they’ll be roosting all over