Roosting bars height?

[Cmerchant]

Hi everyone, so newbie here ? I readjusted my bars bc hubs made them waist high for them to jump to get up..& I got concerned w them falling trying to get up there..so I made 2 smaller ones about 4' long..I use 2x3's attached to 2x4 sides! ? Is I just acquired a new roo..so he decided to roost on top of nesting box? When I asked him what he was doing I swear he looked out the window..& chatted, as if to mutter keeping an eye out anyhow, should I make the other roosts higher? If so how high is too high? I have about 7ft floor-ceiling in the roost

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

The roosts need to be higher than the nest boxes. Chickens will want to sleep in the highest place available.

If you have heavier birds who can't fly up to the roost or if your coop is small so that they don't have room to fly you can build a ramp up to the roost or make a roost ladder so that they can hop from bar to bar.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The way I determine height is to first decide where the coop floor is, including all bedding. Sometimes people forget that bedding can add height. Then install the nests. These can be on the coop floor or up high enough so you don't have to bend over to collect the eggs. Then I position the roosts higher than the nests. They often like to sleep on the highest place available so I want the roosts higher than anything I don't want them sleeping in or on, like the nests.

I want the roosts as low as reasonably possible. The higher the roosts the more clear room on the coop floor they need to land when they fly down. In winter I want any ventilation to be over their heads so any breezes go above them, don't hit them. At night when they are on the roosts is a good time to catch them to treat them or inspect them. With mine that wound up being 5' off the coop floor.

I got concerned w them falling trying to get up there.

I've seen a broody hen take her 2-week-old chicks to sleep on my roosts. Even at that age they can roost overnight. It isn't that unusual for chickens to knock each other off of the roosts as they are deciding who gets to sleep where. The ones highest in the pecking order get to sleep wherever they want and may knock others out of their way to get here. No big deal. They just spread their wings as they fall to cushion the landing and start trying to get back up there.

It's not a case of how high is too high. Some chickens sleep 15' up in trees or maybe even higher on barn rafters. I don't know what the inside of your coop looks like or how high your nests are. I don't know how old your chickens are. If you have chickens that can't fly like Silkies it's a different situation. What is a convenient height for you?

 

[aart]

I wanted nests and roosts a good height for me, the keeper.
They like to be as high as they can get, but they don't need to be all that high.
Height of roosts can also depends on how big the coop is,
they need room to fly down without crashing into walls.

Here's some of my thoughts on heights:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/

 

[HollyWoozle]

Oops wrong thread somehow! Deleted.

 

[Hamstermann]

I'm new to BYC so if I should start a new thread instead of resurrecting an old one, please forgive me. Some forums get mad if you don't search old posts first and others don't mind a repeat subject.

For roost height, I've heard a lot that they need to be higher than the nests. Does that mean higher than the top of the nest boxes, or just higher than the nest floor? I'm trying to deign a tractor I can use year-round in northern Utah (I'm in a suburb about 45 minutes north of Salt Lake City) and want to give the girls the room that they need without making the coop so tall that the tractor becomes hard to move due to amount and distribution of weight.

Also, if the roosts are the same height as the nesting box top and run perpendicular to the wall that the nesting boxes sit in, will the poop still get into the nesting boxes? Should I plan to run them parallel to the nesting boxes but on the opposite wall instead?

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile it will always be right there for reference so that people can give you better-targeted advice.

The roosts need to be enough higher than the nests that the chickens see a perceptible difference. I'm having a problem with it because I put them about halfway up from the nest floor in my new coop (based on making it easy for me with my arthritis), and still have nest-sleepers.

Starting your own build thread is welcome here -- you can get a lot of useful feedback on your ideas that way.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Also, if the roosts are the same height as the nesting box top and run perpendicular to the wall that the nesting boxes sit in, will the poop still get into the nesting boxes? Should I plan to run them parallel to the nesting boxes but on the opposite wall instead?

Parallel is better, unless you're planning on doing poop boards over the top of the nests (and preferably overhanging them a bit). Poop splatters, so it can and will get on anything nearby.