Yes, which is fine if properly papered and shingled.
Starting a coop build, it is my first build and first chickens so feedback is very welcome
- Thread starter saysfaa
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
Thank you all for the feedback! It is much appreciated!!
Push has come to shove on the interior design. I've been kicking this can down the road so far... so many different set ups that work depending on the individual coop designs, needs and preferences of the people, and so on. I like aspects of dozens of comments, articles, and coop pages... some of which are incompatible with each other.
So. Starting with the known.
The nests go above the bedding.
The poop board goes above the nests.
The roosts go above the poop board.
Allowing at least 8" for deep bedding, at least 12" for nests, absolute minimum height of roosts is 21" above the floor. Almost essential is margin between top of nests and the roosts to make them visually obviously higher... add 3"... making bare minimum of 24".
Much more comfortable to allow 12" for deep bedding, 15" for nests, 6" for visual margin and addition of the option of a poop board. That is 33" from floor to roosts for reasonable minimum if no poop board or except for
Maximum height of roost: birds need head room while on the roosts and clearance for getting on and off the roosts. Minimum for getting off the roosts is 45 degree angle, so horizontal clearance is equal to height of the roosts. Theoretically, they could walk down but they don't. I have a walk in coop with more than 8' of horizontal clearance so roosts could be over my head... nope, I don't want that.
If I have a poop board, I want to use it without bending down. https://ergoweb.com/work-at-proper-heights/
My elbow is 42" high. 42 minus about 3 inches for the clearance of the tools (leveling system, broom, and screen)... puts my poop board at 40". Which is above the comfortable minimum. Oh, that is 40" above the level of the bedding; not the level of the floor decking... so 52" above the floor. But the bottom of my window is 48" above the floor. Even with a lip around the poop board, I think the PDZ would blow out too much if it is above the bottom of the window -if it is in front window. I'll put it against the west wall so it isn't in front of the window and leave it a range of 4
I don't know the best distance between the poop board and the roost. If it is too high, the poop misses the board. How high that is depends on how wide the poop board is. If it is too low, the roost is in the way of working the poop board.
I think my limiting factor, if I use roosts that aren't easily removable, will be the hand broom I intend to use to clear off the PDZ when completely replacing it. That should be rarely, so this can give if needed. The hand broom has 3" or 4" bristles plus handle, my hand, and a little working room... figure 6" to 8".
Do hens use the poop board to get past another hen on the roosts? I read that long ago but can't remember if the hens do that or if the writer just thought they would. If they do, how close does it need to be? If they don't, would they use a parallel second roost for that purpose?
And, my kids woke up so that is all for now.
Push has come to shove on the interior design. I've been kicking this can down the road so far... so many different set ups that work depending on the individual coop designs, needs and preferences of the people, and so on. I like aspects of dozens of comments, articles, and coop pages... some of which are incompatible with each other.
So. Starting with the known.
The nests go above the bedding.
The poop board goes above the nests.
The roosts go above the poop board.
Allowing at least 8" for deep bedding, at least 12" for nests, absolute minimum height of roosts is 21" above the floor. Almost essential is margin between top of nests and the roosts to make them visually obviously higher... add 3"... making bare minimum of 24".
Much more comfortable to allow 12" for deep bedding, 15" for nests, 6" for visual margin and addition of the option of a poop board. That is 33" from floor to roosts for reasonable minimum if no poop board or except for
Maximum height of roost: birds need head room while on the roosts and clearance for getting on and off the roosts. Minimum for getting off the roosts is 45 degree angle, so horizontal clearance is equal to height of the roosts. Theoretically, they could walk down but they don't. I have a walk in coop with more than 8' of horizontal clearance so roosts could be over my head... nope, I don't want that.
If I have a poop board, I want to use it without bending down. https://ergoweb.com/work-at-proper-heights/
My elbow is 42" high. 42 minus about 3 inches for the clearance of the tools (leveling system, broom, and screen)... puts my poop board at 40". Which is above the comfortable minimum. Oh, that is 40" above the level of the bedding; not the level of the floor decking... so 52" above the floor. But the bottom of my window is 48" above the floor. Even with a lip around the poop board, I think the PDZ would blow out too much if it is above the bottom of the window -if it is in front window. I'll put it against the west wall so it isn't in front of the window and leave it a range of 4
I don't know the best distance between the poop board and the roost. If it is too high, the poop misses the board. How high that is depends on how wide the poop board is. If it is too low, the roost is in the way of working the poop board.
I think my limiting factor, if I use roosts that aren't easily removable, will be the hand broom I intend to use to clear off the PDZ when completely replacing it. That should be rarely, so this can give if needed. The hand broom has 3" or 4" bristles plus handle, my hand, and a little working room... figure 6" to 8".
Do hens use the poop board to get past another hen on the roosts? I read that long ago but can't remember if the hens do that or if the writer just thought they would. If they do, how close does it need to be? If they don't, would they use a parallel second roost for that purpose?
And, my kids woke up so that is all for now.
I can't speak to the poop boards because I don't use them but in re: this,
I set the base of my nest boxes in the new coop just below my elbow level. I will have to bend down a little to see into them when collecting eggs, but I can tell an egg from a golf ball by touch anyway. I wanted my grandchildren to be able to help collect eggs when they visit.
I am putting my roosts just about the level of my shoulders so that I can easily take a chicken off the roost for examinations.
I set the base of my nest boxes in the new coop just below my elbow level. I will have to bend down a little to see into them when collecting eggs, but I can tell an egg from a golf ball by touch anyway. I wanted my grandchildren to be able to help collect eggs when they visit.
I am putting my roosts just about the level of my shoulders so that I can easily take a chicken off the roost for examinations.
That made me LOL
Your height stack sounds pretty good.
My poop boards are about 34" off the floor.
They are 24" deep and the roost is centered about 8" off the boards,
majority of poops hit the board.
Yes, the birds will walk and roost on the boards and/or edges,
not a problem and also affords them extra 'floor' space.
I have never had to replace all the PDZ, I just add to it when it gets thinner.
Here's some posts about it, they're kind of old, but changes are noted.
...and the threads these posts are in has a ton of examples of poop boards.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-111#post-13179595
Updates:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-178#post-18966048
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/...ch-x-9-inch-mesh-drawer-organizer-silver.html
- Thread starter
- #45
Notes from the first 108 pages of the PDZ/poop board thread.
Many say 24" wide poop board is enough; none say it isn't for a single roost
12" wide poop board; frequent misses
much later someone tried 18" and redid it
A few people recommend Roost 18" from the wall. Most agree 12 is enough. One who recommends 18" says 12" is enough but they can stretch wings out with 18".
SpoiledChicken said "My poop boards are 24" deep from the wall and the perch is centered. Roosting chickens have 12" behind them and 12" in front. This is a little larger than most BUT I find that it catches ALL the poops and gives the girls plenty of room to walk around on so they can perch where they want. Our coop is 10x10 and this set up works well" AND
"So far the chickens seem to keep the poop only on the board. Also, when they jump up for the night they first jump up to the board and walk through the PDZ before getting on the roost. This is GREAT because they kick a little out and freshen up my shavings, they cover nearby poop in the PDZ AND they cover their feet in it to so dries up poopy feet and keeps the roosts clean"
AND
"1x4 tall side up... couple of inches of PDZ
"Then I read your post and, in less than an hour, had added a couple of 1x4 boards to create a "tray" and added the PDZ.
Moogie, "The lip on the board prevents the hens from lounging below the roost, since it's hard for them to grasp the 3/4" wide lip with their feet and there's not enough room for them to stand between the lip and the roost now. I watched the BO (the worst offender) try repeatedly to do so...then she gave up! Score!"
Several people said 10" between pb and roost is best. No one didn't like it. Some didn't have room for that much or didnt use it for other reasons; they used 6" and had often had removable roosts
Some tried 12" but all who said whtjer or not ghey liked that - didn't like it.
Page 70 spoiled chickens "8-10 inches seems to be the best distance for the roost from the board. Any smaller than that and you will have a hard time scooping under the roost. Any taller than that and the girls may have trouble getting up to it or may sleep under it. A few people have tried higher/lower but most seem to be happy around 10"
Two parallel roosts over one pb consistently used 30" wide pd. But not many talked about it. There was some discussion about how far apart to put parallel roosts. I mostly filtered that out for now.
page 25,26 has discussion about staggered height roosts... kept for future reference.
Depth of PDZ...everything from 1/4" to 4 inches deep works.
3/4", drifts to 1 1/2"; much thinner and you spend too much time spreading it back out in an even layer after scooping. .... 1/2 bare min; like 1 1/2 to 2 better -easier scooping.
P 68 Casie D, "We used 1 x 4 to frame out the trays. I wouldn't go any less than that. You really do need some depth to it or it makes it much harder to scoop out. You aren't going to fill it right to the top anyway, this gives you some room to scoop and not push it out on the floor. Also if you are in a cold climate like I am, in the winter sometimes the poop will freeze to the bottom of the tray. The deeper it is the less that happens. I use a putty knife to scrape/pop it off when it does"
p68, 1" works for me. 1x5 cut in half so is 3/4x2.
Pg 90 mesh trays from office supply stores work very well.. mesh right size, ect, pg 91ish... kitty litter scoop gets the big ones, mesh office trays and deep fat fryer baskets gets little ones too... some zip tied 1/4" hardware cloth or similar to a stall fork.
Different thread, someone took the mesh out of a metal filter for a kitchen sink drain (may have been for screening fermented feed rather than for PDZ.
Many say 24" wide poop board is enough; none say it isn't for a single roost
12" wide poop board; frequent misses
much later someone tried 18" and redid it
A few people recommend Roost 18" from the wall. Most agree 12 is enough. One who recommends 18" says 12" is enough but they can stretch wings out with 18".
SpoiledChicken said "My poop boards are 24" deep from the wall and the perch is centered. Roosting chickens have 12" behind them and 12" in front. This is a little larger than most BUT I find that it catches ALL the poops and gives the girls plenty of room to walk around on so they can perch where they want. Our coop is 10x10 and this set up works well" AND
"So far the chickens seem to keep the poop only on the board. Also, when they jump up for the night they first jump up to the board and walk through the PDZ before getting on the roost. This is GREAT because they kick a little out and freshen up my shavings, they cover nearby poop in the PDZ AND they cover their feet in it to so dries up poopy feet and keeps the roosts clean"
AND
"1x4 tall side up... couple of inches of PDZ
"Then I read your post and, in less than an hour, had added a couple of 1x4 boards to create a "tray" and added the PDZ.
Moogie, "The lip on the board prevents the hens from lounging below the roost, since it's hard for them to grasp the 3/4" wide lip with their feet and there's not enough room for them to stand between the lip and the roost now. I watched the BO (the worst offender) try repeatedly to do so...then she gave up! Score!"
Several people said 10" between pb and roost is best. No one didn't like it. Some didn't have room for that much or didnt use it for other reasons; they used 6" and had often had removable roosts
Some tried 12" but all who said whtjer or not ghey liked that - didn't like it.
Page 70 spoiled chickens "8-10 inches seems to be the best distance for the roost from the board. Any smaller than that and you will have a hard time scooping under the roost. Any taller than that and the girls may have trouble getting up to it or may sleep under it. A few people have tried higher/lower but most seem to be happy around 10"
Two parallel roosts over one pb consistently used 30" wide pd. But not many talked about it. There was some discussion about how far apart to put parallel roosts. I mostly filtered that out for now.
page 25,26 has discussion about staggered height roosts... kept for future reference.
Depth of PDZ...everything from 1/4" to 4 inches deep works.
3/4", drifts to 1 1/2"; much thinner and you spend too much time spreading it back out in an even layer after scooping. .... 1/2 bare min; like 1 1/2 to 2 better -easier scooping.
P 68 Casie D, "We used 1 x 4 to frame out the trays. I wouldn't go any less than that. You really do need some depth to it or it makes it much harder to scoop out. You aren't going to fill it right to the top anyway, this gives you some room to scoop and not push it out on the floor. Also if you are in a cold climate like I am, in the winter sometimes the poop will freeze to the bottom of the tray. The deeper it is the less that happens. I use a putty knife to scrape/pop it off when it does"
p68, 1" works for me. 1x5 cut in half so is 3/4x2.
Pg 90 mesh trays from office supply stores work very well.. mesh right size, ect, pg 91ish... kitty litter scoop gets the big ones, mesh office trays and deep fat fryer baskets gets little ones too... some zip tied 1/4" hardware cloth or similar to a stall fork.
Different thread, someone took the mesh out of a metal filter for a kitchen sink drain (may have been for screening fermented feed rather than for PDZ.
Last edited:
Lots of notes in the post before.....good to keep notes in a word doc instead of here.
I even write long stuff in word first than paste here.
- Thread starter
- #47
Progress, shingles for the ridge vent are cut. Installation can wait. We need the windows secured more urgently.
The metal lath for each window is cut. Tin snips worked, thankfully.
Still working on interior design. Feed back and references were very helpful!
Nest boxes can wait, other than I need to allow for them in figuring the pb and roosts. I figured the minimum clearance for bedding under the nest boxes. But the feedback/referred threads reminded me that ergonomics matter for gathering eggs too. So, testing indicated 32" is the minimum height to reach an egg while standing straight. Even if the egg is at the front of the nest (almost forgot that part.) I can count from the actual floor rather than top of the bedding because the access will be from the storage end of the shed rather than the coop end.
Standard nest height is 12" putting minimum height of the top of the nest at 44".
Anyway, with better info about the pb/roost... I'll put the roost 10" above the pb. That should be enough higher than the nest boxes to not need a separate amount for that. So, 44" top of nest box plus 10" puts the roost at 54" from the floor (not top of the bedding). That is exactly shoulder high on me
If I add a foot to the height, and put it 18" from the wall... I still have enough clearance for flying down at a 45 degree angle.
I see the advantage of the roost at shoulder hight (in checking for health issus), is there any disadvantage? Other than stress on feet and legs of heavy birds landing from higher? Which shouldn't be a problem because of the deep, mixed bedding which should have a LOT of give.
The metal lath for each window is cut. Tin snips worked, thankfully.
Still working on interior design. Feed back and references were very helpful!
Nest boxes can wait, other than I need to allow for them in figuring the pb and roosts. I figured the minimum clearance for bedding under the nest boxes. But the feedback/referred threads reminded me that ergonomics matter for gathering eggs too. So, testing indicated 32" is the minimum height to reach an egg while standing straight. Even if the egg is at the front of the nest (almost forgot that part.) I can count from the actual floor rather than top of the bedding because the access will be from the storage end of the shed rather than the coop end.
Standard nest height is 12" putting minimum height of the top of the nest at 44".
Anyway, with better info about the pb/roost... I'll put the roost 10" above the pb. That should be enough higher than the nest boxes to not need a separate amount for that. So, 44" top of nest box plus 10" puts the roost at 54" from the floor (not top of the bedding). That is exactly shoulder high on me
If I add a foot to the height, and put it 18" from the wall... I still have enough clearance for flying down at a 45 degree angle.
I see the advantage of the roost at shoulder hight (in checking for health issus), is there any disadvantage? Other than stress on feet and legs of heavy birds landing from higher? Which shouldn't be a problem because of the deep, mixed bedding which should have a LOT of give.
- Thread starter
- #48
Sorry, I don't have access to a computer or email for a while. I'll edit the posts down to reasonable amounts - tonight or tomorrow.
Last edited:
Wow! What a lot of compiled info!
Since I'll have at least one big, Brahma girl I'm planning on either giving them a ramp or using a ladder style roost.
No need to edit down your posts.
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