Roosting bars

[Monchicks]

We need to put a roosting bar in the chicken coop we got. Will be using a 2x4 piece. The coop we got has the lower bit with sand, a ramp up to a small upper level as well as a nesting box attached to this. I have planned to put the 2x4 in the upper level with wood shavings or straw underneath.
My question:
How high up should the roosting bar be placed? (keeping in mind that the upper room is already high up but at the same level as the nesting box)
Photo attached is the type of coop but not the one.

Thanks!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

We need to put a roosting bar in the chicken coop we got. Will be using a 2x4 piece. The coop we got has the lower bit with sand, a ramp up to a small upper level as well as a nesting box attached to this. I have planned to put the 2x4 in the upper level with wood shavings or straw underneath.
My question:
How high up should the roosting bar be placed? (keeping in mind that the upper room is already high up but at the same level as the nesting box)
Photo attached is the type of coop but not the one.

Thanks!

Roosts should be at a higher level than the floor of the nest boxes. I don't know how much room you have to work with there. Can you post a picture of the inside?

Edit to add: ok, assuming that that's a full-sized human door, it's less tight than at first glance. But definitely get the roost bars higher than nest box floors, but not so high that sleeping chickens don't have their heads (or bodies) in ventilation drafts.

 

[Monchicks]

Roosts should be at a higher level than the floor of the nest boxes. I don't know how much room you have to work with there. Can you post a picture of the inside?

Edit to add: ok, assuming that that's a full-sized human door, it's less tight than at first glance. But definitely get the roost bars higher than nest box floors, but not so high that sleeping chickens don't have their heads (or bodies) in ventilation drafts.

It's definitely not a full sized human door. The top bit is maybe a metre high. I can't measure it right now unfortunately

 

[Mother of Chaos]

It's definitely not a full sized human door. The top bit is maybe a metre high. I can't measure it right now unfortunately

Ok. How many chickens do you have, and are they full-sized? What’s the square footage of the upper level of the coop? (I apologize if you’ve already gone through this interrogation, but prefab coop sellers grossly overestimate coop capacity.

This may get tricky.

 

[Monchicks]

Ok. How many chickens do you have, and are they full-sized? What’s the square footage of the upper level of the coop? (I apologize if you’ve already gone through this interrogation, but prefab coop sellers grossly overestimate coop capacity.

This may get tricky.

Just 3 chickens, they will be full sized. They're just 3 weeks old inside still!

I think it's 10square foot if my estimates, calculations and googling are correct

I'll need to measure it when I'm home to know for sure.

 

[Three Stents]

In a nut shell, just keep your roosting bar(s) higher than the nest boxes

 

[rosemarythyme]

Where are you located or what kind of climate do you have? Bigger issue is you lack ventilation, which should be high enough above the roost so that chickens don't get a draft on the roosting area. But you simply don't have the wall height for it. You can modify this to expand the amount of floor and wall space by turning the entire unit into a coop.

 

[Monchicks]

Where are you located or what kind of climate do you have? Bigger issue is you lack ventilation, which should be high enough above the roost so that chickens don't get a draft on the roosting area. But you simply don't have the wall height for it. You can modify this to expand the amount of floor and wall space by turning the entire unit into a coop.

I see, I'm in Melbourne Australia. We have all sorts of climates in one week I'll attach a photo of the situation. How low to the ground can the roosting bar be?

 

[Monchicks]

I see, I'm in Melbourne Australia. We have all sorts of climates in one week I'll attach a photo of the situation. How low to the ground can the roosting bar be?

By ground I mean the bottom of the upper part*

 

[rosemarythyme]

I see, I'm in Melbourne Australia. We have all sorts of climates in one week I'll attach a photo of the situation. How low to the ground can the roosting bar be?

So you have a vent that's shut and some windows but it looks like they're glass or plastic? Do those windows open up?

Technically roosts can be just above ground level but most chickens aren't going to like being so low as their instincts tell them to get up higher for safety. That's why they need to be higher than nests, so the nests don't look like a better option to sleep in. Also you need clearance for bedding/litter under the roosts so they're not sitting in their poop, so at the very minimum you'd want them maybe 3-4 inches (10 cm) above the height of the litter.

What I'd suggest in this case is converting the coop and mini run into a larger coop, which will provide more floor space, more ventilation, and give you more room to place roosts as well. You would then need to add on or place the coop inside an appropriate sized run, or plan on free ranging full time.

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/