In my pallet coop, the roosts are 50" off ground. I have 8" of DL to cushion jumps. I also have a step roost about 24" off ground so Pig Pen can get up(12lb rooster). The roof is 80" high. My 24" high rooster has no clearance issues. Always have roosts higher than nest boxes. My boxes are on the floor.
Quote: If I have a 4' or 5' height with a solid roof, then 2-3 feet would be ok right? How much head room does a chicken on a roost need!? Are there any chickens that don't roost? Did I hear that Silkie's don't roost? I don't have any silkie's but I don't want to limit my chicken-math-ability.
Since Silkies have seeing issues, they prefer to pile on the floor to sleep. They can be trained to roost on lower roosts(they can't fly up but about 18"). I have a ramp to the roost in the tractor and the Silkies still prefer to sleep on the floor.
Quote: If I have a 4' or 5' height with a solid roof, then 2-3 feet would be ok right? How much head room does a chicken on a roost need!? Are there any chickens that don't roost? Did I hear that Silkie's don't roost? I don't have any silkie's but I don't want to limit my chicken-math-ability.
This may sound like a smart-aleck remark, but it really has to do with hoe tall the chicken is. I had to drop the Hamburg's roost from 3 feet to two-and-a-half feet when I put the rooster in, because the 18 inch clearance wsn't enough to keep him from bumping his head.
Not smart aleck-y at all. I don't have any roos, so maybe I'll just throw some in there and see which ones they like.
Quote: If I have a 4' or 5' height with a solid roof, then 2-3 feet would be ok right? How much head room does a chicken on a roost need!? Are there any chickens that don't roost? Did I hear that Silkie's don't roost? I don't have any silkie's but I don't want to limit my chicken-math-ability.
This may sound like a smart-aleck remark, but it really has to do with hoe tall the chicken is. I had to drop the Hamburg's roost from 3 feet to two-and-a-half feet when I put the rooster in, because the 18 inch clearance wsn't enough to keep him from bumping his head.
If you have very heavy large fowl, such as large fowl Cochins or Orpingtons, they are prone to bumblefoot with high roosts (as they jump down). It is good to give them a stairstep, such as a platform to jump down to, or a ramp, to lessen the impact if their roosts are going to be high.
Alternatively, you can give them shorter roosts.
That makes sense, I have BO's, PBR's, and BA's so I'll make them middle of the road so they can "cross" at their leisure.
Yes I just made a chicken cross the road reference... I'm a dork!
Quote: I definitely don't want them to hurt themselves. So... how high should the nest boxes be? My current coop has it at floor level, of course the coop is 2' off the ground.
They are not open on weekends.You guys are awesome! Do you know if Xcel is open weekends?
Crap I forgot to open my girls coop back up when I moved it. Shoot Shoot Shoot!!!
And they all will try to get as high as they can regardless of how hard it is for them to get down, and not all will use a ladder...they just jump, and can get bumblefoot or even crash & break their necks.I agree with CL... if the roosts are too high the bird can get hurt jumping down. in my first coop I made them about 4 1/2 ft high. I'm a little concerned about my older girls jumping down from there. in the 2nd coop they are 3 1/2 ft high. in coops 3 -7 they are 2 1/2 - 3 ft high. I got a little carried away with coops and chickens
just remember one thing. a chicken will try and roost as high as it can in a coop so don't make your nest boxes higher then the roost or any shelves
Quote: Oh man... Maybe I should wrap them in bubble wrap!My poor girls do not seem the brightest by any means. The youngsters appear to be afraid of heights. Bunch of chickens... Bonnie, my EE, used to roost in the top of the shed she was left in. Not even sure how she squeezed into the 8" opening.
I agree with CL... if the roosts are too high the bird can get hurt jumping down. in my first coop I made them about 4 1/2 ft high. I'm a little concerned about my older girls jumping down from there. in the 2nd coop they are 3 1/2 ft high. in coops 3 -7 they are 2 1/2 - 3 ft high. I got a little carried away with coops and chickens:cd
just remember one thing. a chicken will try and roost as high as it can in a coop so don't make your nest boxes higher then the roost or any shelves
And they all will try to get as high as they can regardless of how hard it is for them to get down, and not all will use a ladder...they just jump, and can get bumblefoot or even crash & break their necks.
