We are building an A frame portible run / roost for our 4 chicks. They will be 8 weeks old when we put them in. The part with the roost will be 4' high and the roost will be about 2 - 2 1/2' from the ground. We are new to chickens so don't know what to expect. Right now in the brooder they perch on a 1" dowel 5" off the floor. Do we start out with a 1" dowel and then progress to a 2" perch? Do we put it lower at first or will they be able to get up to one that is 2 - 2 1/2' high? We don't need to make a ramp up to the perch do we? Also I see a lot of nesting boxes that open from the top aren't these harder to clean out than one that opens in the back? Which is better?
Welcome to BYC - This is truly a great site to get all the information you need to take care of your chickens. I started with an apple tree branch about 3/4" dia but since have put in a 2 x 4 with the wide part flat for my ten 4 wk old chicks to roost on. I think they like it better because they don't have to grip anything and keep their balance. They then sit down over their feet and sleep. I plan to make a ladder type roost with the 2 x 4's that I can easily remove from the coop to clean. Enjoy your chicks.
Thanks for the quick replies. So what is the best width for the perch 2" or 4". Maybe since there isn't a floor up high we should go with 4"? I am in Arizona so cold toes shouldn't be much of a problem. 8" to 10" per bird correct? Should we go for 10" because of the heat here?
2x4 flat side up. I would go with the 10" per bird or 12" per bird if you have the room. The height is fine they will have no problem jumping that high. Make sure roosts are higher than nest boxes, chickens have a tendancy to roost as high as they can get. My coop has a 7 foot peak with exposed cross beams and my hens roosted on the cross beams until I wired it off so they couldn't get that high. I was afraid of bumble foot with them flying down from that height. The accessed it from their top roost about four feet off the ground but they just jumped straight down in the morning instead of going to the top roost and coming down that way.
