Setting the roost height...a couple of feet or take advantage of more vertical space?

[whitenack]

Hi all,

I have a walk in coop with 7' ceilings. Trying to decide what height to place the roosting bars. Will they enjoy being higher up in the air or does it matter? I don't want to put them all the way at the top because I have the rafters open to ventilation and it will be too drafty in the winter. However, I didn't know if I should put them as high as possible or just set them at 20"-30" and call it a day.

ETA: I have ramps/walkways that allow them to walk to the roosts...they wouldn't have to fly up to them.

 

[GodLovesU]

Wherever you set them, the chickens are going to try to get to the highest ones. My roosts are about 1-2 feet off the ground.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My roosts are 5 feet high and mine fly up to them and fly back down. If you want to provide ramps or ladders for them you certainly can, that's your business. If they don't have room to spread their wings and fly or the landing area is too cramped for them to land then your situation is different from mine.

The way I determine vertical height in mine is I first determine how high the floor is, including bedding. Then I make the pop door high enough that they do not scratch the bedding out.

Next I position the nests. Some people put the nests at floor level. Some people want the nests high enough they don't have to bend over to gather eggs. That helps if you have a bad back. People tend to care about this a lot more than the chickens.

Then I position the roosts. I want the roosts higher than anywhere I do not want the chickens sleep. For most of us that means nests but might include something else. Most chickens like to sleep as high as they can. Most does not mean all but it usually helps a lot of your roosts are higher than anything else. If your roosts are pretty close to your nests 6" higher might be enough but if you have a larger coop 12" might be better.

I want the roosts to be lower than the vent openings. I do not want a cold breeze hitting them on the roosts in winter.

I want the roosts to be a convenient height so I can pick a chicken off of it at night. They can be hard to catch during the day if you need to inspect one or treat one. After dark, use a flashlight and pick them off of the roost.

Another factor is how much landing area they have when flying down. You do not want them banging into things when flying down. The higher the roost the more clear space they need.

Good luck on setting yours up.

 

[ChookaPete]

My roosting perch is over five feet above the ground. I am considering to increase it to six feet.

Any height is fine - as long as you give the chickens room to fly down (if five feet high, at least five feet horizontal space), and a ladder (or wood stumps) to help younger or fatter chickens to fly up in short steps.