VERY quick question regarding nestbox and roost height

[GeneGoddess]

The coop is almost done (just need to install the roost and nest boxes, obviously). The roost itself is 6x8ft with an attached 6x10ft run. The chickens are all regular size (no bantams). I'm using a single large birch branch for a roost (they are happy with branches as they currently roost on a small branch in the brooder) that is 8ft. The nest boxes are 5g buckets on a shelf with a "landing pad" and they won't be able to roost on top. Three very simple questions:

1. How high off the ground should I place the nest boxes?

2. How high should I place the roost.

3. Should the roost be higher than the nest boxes or vice versa or can they be equal height?

Thanks!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. How high off the ground should I place the nest boxes?

With one exception, wherever it is most convenient to you. Chickens usually don't care. There can be exceptions, but usually they are happy with high or low, mainly what they get used to.

Some people put them on the ground.

Some raise them off the ground a bit, say 12 to 24 ". This does tend to keep the nest boxes cleaner. If you leave about a foot or more clear under them after the litter is in, the area taken by the nesting boxes does not take away from available coop space. Your coop is big enough for eleven chickens but your run is fairly small. The extra space may be important to you. I got mine a little too close to the ground and they tend to fill the space under the nesting boxes with wood shavings. They are always scratching and they kick them under there but do not go under there to clean them back out.

Some people raise them to a height that they do not have to bend over to gather the eggs. If you put them up four or five feet, you might want to add a perch or something half-way up to help them get to the nests. If they have a good landing pad at the nests, they can fly up four feet, but a midway perch seems to help.

2. How high should I place the roost.

Clearly higher than the nests or anything else you do not want them to sleep in or on but as low as possible. It is not an everyday thing, but chickens can hurt themselves getting off the roosts. The larger breeds are more at risk, but any of them can hurt themselves. When they jump down, if they land wrong, they can injure their legs. In addition, they are clumsy fliers, even the small, light, flighty breeds. When they jump down from a roost of any height, they spread their wings and try to fly down. The higher the roost, the more room they need to fly down. They can bang into nesting boxes, feeders, waterers, walls, other chickens on the ground, anything that might be in their way. That's why I suggest as low as possible for the roosts.

3. Should the roost be higher than the nest boxes or vice versa or can they be equal height?

This is the exception in #1 above. Even if they cannot roost on top of your nesting buckets, they can roost in your nests. They poop a lot when they sleep. The roosts need to be clearly higher than anywhere else. If they are pretty close together, 6 inches may be enough difference. Clear across the coop, it may take a foot of difference. In your case, I'd make the roost higher than the top of the buckets to help keep them from getting confused.

I assume you have a lip on the front of those buckets so they cannot kick the bedding out.

Good luck!!

 

[GeneGoddess]

The floor of the coop is concrete with a 8" lip all around (it is a converted shed). I'm using deep litter up to the 8" line. The idea places for the base of the nest boxes would be about 2-3ft off the ground (so I won't have to bend over too far), so I'll put in a mid-point perch. There will be a "lip" so they don't kick out the nesting material. The roost is "across the way" but only about 3ft horizontal distance. I'll place it about 1ft above the top of the nest boxes, I suppose. That would make it about 4ft tall.

Thanks for the great answers!

 

[whillergee]

We're in the finishing stages of our coop (and by "we" I of course mean "my husband") - it's a converted playhouse. We have a small space for the roosts, and I'm concerned that with a flock of four (and hopefully six by the end of the summer) the girls will be pooping on each other all night. Here are my questions:

- How closely together will they roost? Are they jammed up next to each other?
- Someone suggested 2x4s for the roosts since chickens like a flat roost for their feet - is this true?
- If we stagger a few roosts from the floor on up, how separate do they need to be - like 2 feet up and 2 feet back?

If I can figure out how to post a picture, I'll put one up. Have I mentioned recently how much I love this forum?

 

[Ridgerunner]

- How closely together will they roost? Are they jammed up next to each other?

For full sized fowl, not bantams, the general recommendation is a minimum of 8" per bird. The will normally sleep closer together, but they need the extra room to get on the roosts (they spread their wings when jumping on and some seem to enjoy blocking access points) and to maneuver to get next to their favoite sleeping buddies. The pecking order does come into play when they are deciding who gets the best roosting spots.

- Someone suggested 2x4s for the roosts since chickens like a flat roost for their feet - is this true?

I've heard that. I use round branches and they love them. Wanting to be next to the window seems more important to mine that the size of the branch, but a larger flat space my be preferred. Part of the theory behind the flat side of the 2x4 is that they roost with their feathers around their feet, thus helping prevent frost bite.

- If we stagger a few roosts from the floor on up, how separate do they need to be - like 2 feet up and 2 feet back?

The normal recommendatin is 1 foot horizontal separation and 1 foot vertical separation if you stagger the heights. Expect the dominant birds to sleep on the highest roost.

How to post pictures/avatar
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26838

 

[teach1rusl]

Besides being easier on your back, another benefit of elevated nest boxes is that you don't lose floor space. I think mine sit at 30 inches. If your roosts end up being really high, you will need to make sure you have a chicken ladder available if you have heavier breeds. Of course with deep litter, jumping down will be easier on their legs.

Whiller - they will fight over the higher roost. So if you can avoid stepping them, that would be good. But if not, they'll work it out, probably with the higher level birds getting the upper roost. I would want at least 12 horizontal inches of clearance from the next step if it was me, to avoid a bird getting pooped on during the night. Usually, but not always of course, the chickens aim the same way (at least mine do) when roosting, so that helps a lot! The goal is to have 12 inches of roost space per bird. I have a little over 10 inches (on my main roost) per bird, and they still have a little room, as mine tend to clump together. The extra space is nice though in case certain birds don't get along with certain other birds....they have space to avoid bullying.

 

[Zahboo]

If you have large birds I've do them about a foot off the ground and then have the roosts abot a foot above that with higher roosts available. Or you can do the nests about 18in up and have the roosts at 3'. The roosts need to be higher so they don't sleep in the nest boxes.

 

[whillergee]

Thanks all you guys for the great responses! I love being able to get quick answers like this. You can't really tell much from this image, but you can see that the space for the roosts is tall and narrow.

Here's what the coop looks like from the outside - right now "we" are finishing up the run and doing some final touches on the coop itself. I'm thinking that it'll be too drafty with the openings up at the top, which are now covered with hardware cloth. I'm going to ask my husband to close off the lower ones and leave the upper ones open for ventilation. We live in northern CA so I'm not too worried about really extreme temperatures, but it does get damp and foggy (usually in the summer!).

Hopefully today I'll put some pictures of my four girls up on my BYC page which I haven't built yet -- the chicks are growing so fast I feel like I need to record every moment!!