roosts

[chachie]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the whole raising chickens thing but I'm making my first tractor and I have 4 hens waiting to be picked up in a few weeks.

My tractor is an a frame style with a 6 x 8 base. The enclosed portion is elevated off the ground with an approximate base of 4x3. I'm curious how many roosts will I need. 2 in the enclosed area? Any needed on the open air area?

Sorry for the rookie question...just new to all this

 

[Neddie]

I would like to expand your question, if I am? I am looking for input on the actual roost bar. Round, square, rectangle? Diameter?

 

[HandsomeRyan]

Try the search function or click "Learning Center" at the top of this page as this has been well covered before.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I'm no pro and have only been at this a year myself but here's what I've read many times on this forum and practice with my flock -

Roost Type/Size: Chickens like to squat down on their feet with their bodies, covering them with their feathers during the cold. I've also read here that they don't grasp round poles like some birds do. They do best with a 2 x 4 roost having the 4 in. side be the actual area that they are roosting on. Many people do other things and they work just fine. You might want to search on the photo gallery to see what others have done.

How much roost per bird: I have large birds so I estimate 1 ft. of linear roost space per bird, less for bantams. Now, they don't always use that much. Sometimes they bunch up. But I also have one girl who gets an attitude and won't share a roost with anyone! Better to have some extra if you can do it. Don't know the size of your chickens but I think I'd go for 2 roosts in the coop. They always like a spot to roost so one in the run would be a plus for them, I'm sure.

 

[jshreck]

I'm sorry if this is redundant but I have spent the better past of the last 3 hours searching this site for information regarding roosts-- searched all over the learning center and found nothing about them.

What I know about roosts-- 1 ft per bird. Wide side of 2x4 so they can cover their feet in cold weather. Roosts should be the highest thing in your coop your birds are capable of roosting on.

What I need to know-- If doing a ladder style roost how far apart should they be? One plan I saw in the book "Starter Coops" says 10 inches- is that accurate? (We're talking standard size breed-- barred rocks)
Also- same idea but how far off the wall should the highest roost be?

Thanks for your help...

 

[jrudolph305]

Go to the top of the page in the box for Search discussions, reviews, articles & more and then just type in roosts and you should get oodles of posts.