Trouble Roosting

[rosemarythyme]

If you can't thin out the flock you're going to need to find some way to increase roost space at the very least. You might as well remove the 2nd roost bar from where it's at since it's unusable right now, or move it over the nest boxes and use the poop tray to protect the nest boxes? Not really sure how the entire layout looks or if that's feasible.

Your run is a good size so that will help a lot.

 

[aart]

Well, yes, I should get rid of some of my birds, but alas, I cannot. I love them and they love me. Sooo, somehow I'm just going to have to make it work. They would be just fine if they would just use both roost bars. The climate in South MO is not too horrible. My goal is to have the fulfilling hobby of raising healthy and happy chickens with the bonus of supplying family and friends with eggs. Their run is 25' X 80'.

That's the goal for most the folks here....
...but many have been heartbroken when crowded conditions create unhealthy chickens.

If you can't thin out the flock you're going to need to find some way to increase roost space at the very least. You might as well remove the 2nd roost bar from where it's at since it's unusable right now, or move it over the nest boxes and use the poop tray to protect the nest boxes? Not really sure how the entire layout looks or if that's feasible.

Took the words right off my fingertips

 

[centrarchid]

Break up roost space on bar closests to wall so only three of four birds can roost together before a break encountered. That will force some to use currently unused bar. IN my setups, discord is proportional to the number of birds roosting in an area. Splitting helps with that. Consider sitting in coop as birds go to roost to look for bottle necks in how they access roost.

 

[M Scott]

Ok you guys, I know that my girls are 99% happy. I've almost got the roosting thing figured out in my head. I think I will take the poop table out and build a 4 or 5 bar roost on the 4 foot wall with a poop hammock under them. Hopefully my pics will show up, I've been having trouble uploading.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The photos are very helpful, I was under the impression there was vertical space above the nest boxes.

I'm thinking a ladder type roost setup that could swing up and out of the way during daytime might work? You can do a search to see how those work, I don't have experience building such a thing but I've seen photos of such on this site.

 

[M Scott]

That's funny, that's what we built first. I couldn't stand the stench of piling poop, hence the change to the roost on the board which I can clean easily every day. The poop hammock won't be as easy to clean but I think I might give it a try. Thanks to every one for all of the guidance.

 

[aart]

4 feet wide is tough to work with.

 

[centrarchid]

Setup is too tight for number of birds involved. I would not be able to fit into that setup owing to size.

 

[Hillaire]

my suggestion is either that you split the group into two flocks and build another coop or expand the coop you currently have. I get it you're attached as we are all attached to our birds, I wouldn't want to get rid of any of mine either. You have too many birds for that tight coop. It's a beautiful coop but for that amount of birds it's going to create problems... plus another coop means more birds? lol

 

[bobbi-j]

That's funny, that's what we built first. I couldn't stand the stench of piling poop, hence the change to the roost on the board which I can clean easily every day. The poop hammock won't be as easy to clean but I think I might give it a try. Thanks to every one for all of the guidance.

Fewer birds in that little coop would be less stenchy... You'd be doing them a favor by expanding or building another coop and splitting the flock.