Roosting bars - does the colour matter?

[kmart60]

My coop interior is black, because you can't paint formply without a lot of work sanding it. There's a lot of white trim on the outside but when it came time to paint the roost bars I was bored with painting white and decided to use some dark grey left over from house reno. Also thought the "dirt" wouldn't show as much.

The husbana comes along and says "why didn't you paint them white?"
Because dirt.
"You know that bird poop is mostly white?" he says. "And how are they going to find them when it's gloomy in here at dusk?"
Is he right? Are my future chookies going to end up sleeping on the floor because they can't find their roosts?

 

[RojoMarz]

Only time will tell...mine are up on the roost before it's so dark that they can't see. But, my coop is not so monochromatic as yours. You could always throw a quick white coat on them. It doesn't need to be perfect, as the paint will wear off anyway.

 

[3KillerBs]

Time will tell.

I don't bother to paint a coop interior so all mine is bare wood color.

 

[DobieLover]

Chickens go to roost well before full on dark. They'll see the roosts.

However, your current problem is the roost proximity to the walls. They are too close. There is also not enough room to maneuver well between the roosts.
You really only have enough space for a single roost down the middle which is enough roost space for a coop that size which really shouldn't house more than 8 birds unless the coop is securely attached to a predator-proof run. Then you might be able to stuff 3 or 4 more birds in with the addition of a cross roost at 4' long.

 

[kmart60]

However, your current problem is the roost proximity to the walls. They are too close.

I think the photo is deceptive, they are 12" from the walls. But I'll take your advice and remove one, maybe move the other toward the middle. It's 4' x 8' so we know it will only fit 8 birds, but thought more roosting space would be good. There's also a 4' x 8' shed on the other side of the LH wall, which we can convert if Chicken Math prevails.
We plan on leaving the pop door open to give them permanent access to the 16' x 8' covered, secure run. This has an automatic door which will provide daytime access to their larger, fenced foraging area ie the orchard.
Although we thought we'd researched thoroughly before planning this build, we seem to have overlooked a few things. I'm very grateful for all the wisdom and experience shared here at BYC!