Roosting bar or shelf?

[jagerson]

Hi!
We are new to raising chickens, We currently have our chickies in a small coop we bought off craigslist, but they are getting a little crowded in there and we decided to convert our shed into a chicken coop. We were going to make some boxes for them to use for laying but were wondering, do they also need a bar or a shelf for roosting? And what exactly is roosting? Thanks!

 

[chickflick]

Yes, you need a place for the chickens to roost or they will sleep in the nesting boxes and get them all poopy. A roost is just a 2x4 with the flat side up. A place where they will go to sleep. 2x4 is ideal, it's wide enough so they can sit and hunch down and cover their feet so they don't get cold in the winter.

Do you have standard size chickens? In my coop, the first roost is 3ft off the ground, then 4 ft and the hightest is 5 ft off the ground. I have standard and bantam mixed, so I have a ladder so the bantams can get up easily. Have at least 16 in between the roosts, or they'll poop on each other.

Nest boxes should be about 16in from the floor of your coop. Make sure the nest boxes are big enough for your hens to be comfortable, at least 14x14in. They stand to lay their egg, so they need the head room. Have a lip in front of the nest boxes so the straw and eggs don't get pushed out. They'll still throw some of the straw out, but at least the egg won't get thrown out!

Hope this helps. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Good Luck!

 

[SarahJaneB]

Ooh exciting, I'm going to try and build a new roost to replace our temporary one starting tomorrow. Will you be posting pictures? I love shed transformations.