Roosting Questions

[Blue_Myst]

So, at the moment I have a bad case of 'need to improve my coop' syndrome. Here goes:

In my coop, I don't have any roosts, but I have a 3' by 4' nesting box with the top about 4 to 4 1/2 feet off the floor of the coop, which they sleep on top of every night. You can probably tell this coop was built when I was very new to chickens! So, I have a few questions:

Should I put roosts in the coop?

If I do put in roosts, and I put them on top of the box, the roosts will probably end up being close to 5' off the ground. Is this too high?

I might end up stripping the box down to the bottom planks and putting the roosts there, in which case they'd be somewhere between 2' and 3' off the ground? Still too high?

 

[Master S.M.C]

Yes: roosts in coop

No: 5 feet isn't to high if you have a flighty bred

No: 2 or 3 feet might be to low unless you've got Brahmas and/or Jersey Giants.

 

[Omran]

Well don't feel bad all of us including the best chicken people made mistakes and a lot of them.
I am still learning too, you need a roost in the coop and you really don't need itabove the nest boxes beacuse that make the boxes real dirty.
the seconed thing is that your current nesting boxes are so high from the ground they should be about 18" to 24" off the ground.

Best of luck.

Omran

 

[Blue_Myst]

No: 2 or 3 feet might be to low unless you've got Brahmas and/or Jersey Giants.

Are Buff Orpingtons considered a 'heavy' breed?

you need a roost in the coop and you really don't need itabove the nest boxes beacuse that make the boxes real dirty.
the seconed thing is that your current nesting boxes are so high from the ground they should be about 18" to 24" off the ground.

I should've explained that a little better. I have a big box, which stores the actual nest boxes inside it. So, technically, the nestboxes are 2 feet off the ground. It's the top of this big box which they sleep on. It's worked out well so far, but it makes it easier for mites to get at them while they are sleeping, and a pain to clean