Roosts: someone once recommended 2x4s because of our cold climate and the chickens ability to basically cover their feet with their feathers. Everything I’m seeing is saying round, like a wooden closet pole. I’m in zone 5a central MA. Thoughts?
People have different opinions on what makes a good roost. Some of those opinions can be pretty strong. Some argue that chickens evolved to sleep on tree limbs so round roosts are best. Others feel that it is best for them to sleep on something flat, anything from the flat side of a 2x4 to a shelf. Both sides will argue that something about the way their feet are shaped requires a certain type of roost. Each side can come up with all kinds of "reasons" their way is best and any other way is cruel.
One very common claim is the one you heard, that they need a flat surface so their feathers can cover their feet and keep them warm. I use tree limbs for my main roosts and a 2x4 on edge for a juvenile roost. When in colder weather my chickens squat down when on the roost and their feet are covered. One member I haven't seen on here for a while lives in Alaska where it does get truly cold. He said he sees a change when the temperature hits -20 Fahrenheit (-29 C). Until then his birds do OK on regular round or thinner roosts but once it gets that cold they need something flat. The coldest I've kept chickens was in Arkansas where it got to -8 F one winter. Mine had no problems on tree limbs or the narrow side of a 2x4.
How big of a diameter is that closet rod? I don't use anything less than 1-1/2" diameter or thickness for a roost, like the thin side of a 2x4. You want the roost to be strong enough to support their weight without excess bending and to give their feet something to grip.
If you use sawn lumber I suggest sanding off any sharp corners. That's not for their comfort when gripping the roost but to avoid splinters which could cause bumblefoot.
I've done some experimenting to see what the chickens prefer. They tend to prefer the highest spot they can get to. The location of the window affected that some. The shape of the roost made no difference at all. People seem to care about this much more than the chickens do. Someone else did some experimenting too, more details than mine. The conclusions were the same but he tried some really thin roosts. They did not like them.
Best coating for the roosts for easy daily wiping?
My roosts are tree limbs 4" diameter or smaller and a 2x4 on edge. Mine do not require any wiping. I don't know what will happen with a wide flat surface.
How far down from the soffit vents should the first roost be?
You want the roosts to be far enough below the vents so any breeze blows over the chickens without hitting them. If a breeze strong enough to ruffle their feathers hits them they can lose insulation form their feathers, not good when it is cold. How far below that is will depend to a small degree on how big your chickens are but more about the flow dynamics of your coop. I don't know that about your specific coop so I'm hesitant to give hard numbers. I'd want at least a foot, anything more would be a bonus.
I haven't read Aart's article for a while but there are some similarities to what I do. First I determine the height of the floor, including bedding. I want the pop door high enough above the bedding so the chickens can't scratch the bedding outside. Mine is about a foot up, 6" might be enough.
Next I position the nests. Some people put nests on the coop floor. Some have them up high enough that they don't have to bend over much to gather eggs or clean the nests. If you have a bad back you might consider this. Others have them anywhere in between. It makes a difference if you have a walk-in coop where you will be inside gathering eggs and working or a small elevated coop where you do everything by reaching in from outside.
I like the nests high enough off of the coop floor so a chicken can get underneath. That stops Mommy Mouse from raising a family under there. Also, when I'm integrating chicks it gives the chicks a place to hide from the adults. I have a second row of nests above the bottom one.
Then I position the roosts. I want them noticeably higher than the nests or any other place I don't want them to sleep. In a small tight coop that might be 6" but 12" minimum is probably better. Chickens tend to sleep on the highest place they can get to. In a large coop that might be the rafters. You don't want the highest place to be the nests.
When chickens fly down from the roosts they need a clear landing area. The higher the roosts the more clear area they need. You don't want them bumping into walls, nests, feeders, or waterers, they can get hurt. If your coop is small and so tight they can't spread their wings and fly they'll probably hop from one perch to another, the same way they get to the roosts. But if they are flying down I want the roosts to be as close to the floor as I can get them and still be higher than anywhere I don't want them sleeping.
One of the easiest way to catch a chicken to inspect it or treat it is to take them off of the roosts at night using minimum light. You can just pick them up. So give yourself access to the roosts.
Pop door: we are planning a 12x12 door. How do I ensure it is predator proof?
You can't without restricting your chickens to where they can go. You said you wanted them to free range. That means anything out there can enter the coop through the pop door when it is open. While practically any predator can be around during the day the nighttime is when they are most dangerous. Human activity during the day tends to keep them away but you can still get an attack. Your biggest risk is at night so make sure you have that pop door closed after they go to bed. I like to go into my walk-in coop when I lock them up at night to make sure I collected all of the eggs and check on the chickens. I have found a few snakes in there and a possum once. I consider checking on them at bedtime a good practice.
If you free range they can be attacked out there. It is a risk you take when you free range. Some of us can go years free ranging without an attack, others can be wiped out in a matter of days.
Is guillotine best? Hinged?
It doesn't matter as long as you can secure it.
Is 6 inches off the floor sufficient? Does it need a shelf or perch?
Mine is about 12" up. My adults can easily hop up that far. For baby chicks going in and out with a broody hen I made some steps with pavers inside and outside the coop so they can hop up and down. By two weeks of age the chicks don't need the steps, they can fly in and out. You have a Silkie that cannot fly and is probably a bantam. I's expect it to be able to easily hop up 12" but I don't do bantams or silkies.
Nesting boxes: planning 3 boxes, 12x12 each. In Storey’s guide, it says to put it on the floor first and then raise it 18 - 20 inches. Does it need a shelf or perch?
For 7 hens two nests should be enough but a third nest won't hurt. That gives you some flexibility if you want to add more hens later or let a broody hen hatch chicks.
My full-sized fowl hens jump/fly to my nests that are 4 feet above the coop floor. I do not have perches or shelves for them. The lip on the front of the nests is 3/8" plywood, they land on that and step into the nest. The majority of people on this forum probably believe they need a shelf or perch. There is nothing wrong with providing one. It will not hurt a thing. In your case it is probably a good thing, depending on how high you set your nests. You have a Silkie that cannot fly. Not only may she need a perch or shelf you may need to provide her a ramp or steps so she can get up there.
Should we have this available to our chicks to get used to from the beginning? Im assuming yes for optimal instinctual chicken behavior.
As always you will get different opinions on this. Some people will tell you absolutely, without a doubt, to close the nests off.
I constantly have different aged chickens in my flock. Some mature adults laying eggs and some younger chicks, either broody raised or brooder raised. I need my nests open so my hens can lay eggs in the nests. I find that as long as they have a place to go that is not my nests they usually (not always but usually) do not sleep in my nests. When they are pretty young they tend to sleep on the coop floor. Once they hit a certain age they want to roost. My immature chicks do not roost on the main roost with the adults. To keep them out of my nests I put in a juvenile roost, about a foot lower than the main roosts, separated from the main roosts by a few feet, and higher than my nests. I raise around 45 chicks each year. Maybe once every two or three years one will try sleeping in a nest. I quickly retrain it.
You don't have a mixed age flock so you should be OK without blocking off the nests. You do have a Silkie though, I'm not sure how she will work out with all of this.
Looking through this I probably said one definite thing, make the roosts higher than anywhere you don't want them to sleep. Other than that you'll find that we do these things all kinds of different ways. We all have different flock make-ups, goals, and set-ups. What works for one of us may not be the best thing for someone else. But there are all kinds of different things that can work. Good luck with what you decide.
