Where would you place roosts and heat?

[Lexi3123]

I am nearly done my coop build for my 4 hens! It is 4x4x4(on the short side) plus the nest boxes with a 120sq foot run! I'm working on the interior next. We are in a cold climate, and I intend on using 2 cozy coop heaters, and supplemental heat when needed. The entire ceiling offers ventilation through the soffit.

Where should I place my roosts? I definitely want poop boards of sorts. And should I have the cozy coops on the wall by the roosts? I was kind of thinking to do two roosts, one away from the heat and the other next to it. Am I on the right track?

TIA

 

[Ted Brown]

Chickens require roosts to be out of any direct air movement and the coop to be dry. They do not require heat in anything other than the most extreme winter climates.

I live in Canada, winters average minus 15C with short periods as low as minus 30Cs. I do not add heat during the winter, the flock (30+ birds) have no issues.

 

[Mantisquailman]

How many chickens are you going to put in?

 

[pennyJo1960]

I have to agree with bot needing heat in a coop.
Birds with feathers and not direct cold breezes don't need heat.

How many chickens are you going to put in?

He posted 4

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi. Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

We are in a cold climate,

What do you consider to be a cold climate? We have some forum members in the deep south of the US that think 50 Fahrenheit (10 Celsius) is cold for grown chickens. It is not.

It can help if you put your general location in your profile like PennyJo, Ted, and I do so your location is always available.

One member that sees colder temperatures than even Ted says he can notice a difference at about -20 F (-29 C). Until then they can take care of themselves as long as they can get out of a breeze and have decent ventilation up high. Are you colder than that?

I don't see any ventilation in that coop. Do you have any? Where?

Where should I place my roosts? I definitely want poop boards of sorts.

Vertically I determine how high the floor is with bedding. Then I place the nests. It doesn't matter to the hens whether they are high or low. Then I want the roosts to be higher than anything I don't want them sleeping on or in, like the nests. In a small coop like yours 6" higher is usually enough, in a larger coop 12" might be better. They tend to want to sleep in the highest spot available. In a cold climate I want the ventilation over their heads or higher when they are on the roosts to keep breezes off of them.

The roost needs to be at least 12" off of the wall. A four feet long roost should be plenty for 4 hens. I like for the roost to be against the back wall if you can manage that. That puts it as out of your way as you can get it. Putting it on a side wall could work and may be easier to reach to clean the poop board as long as it does not interfere with your door.

If you feed and water in the coop, put those where they cannot poop in it from the roost.

 

[Mantisquailman]

I have to agree with bot needing heat in a coop.
Birds with feathers and not direct cold breezes don't need heat.

He posted 4

Ok thanks!

 

[chicken1234]

We get cold snaps -23C here and lower if you count the wind chill. I don't use heat, I just invested in a heated water bowl and extra bedding. The only time I had sick chickens was when I used heat because it made the humidity high. One thing to think about too is your chickens start to get used to the heat and if you have a power outage they could suffer.

 

[aart]

We get cold snaps -23 here and lower if you count the wind chill.

@chicken1234 -23C or F?
Wind chill doesn't count unless the birds are exposed to the wind.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I agree with what has been said above. You will want to use wider roosting bars so the chickens can cover their feet with their feathers when they roost. A 2x4 stud installed wide side up works great for standard chickens in a cold climate. Also, if you use a heated waterer make sure it stays outside so as not to create too much humidity inside the coop (which can lead to frost bite).

 

[aart]

Also, if you use a heated waterer make sure it stays outside so as not to create too much humidity inside the coop

Unless you use horizontal nipples.