Which way do chickens face on their roost? Help - size of drop pit

[4myHennyPenny]

Ok, now that you've stopped laughing at my ridiculous question...

Do your hens always face the same direction on their roost? Or are they likely to face either direction (there is no "front" or "back" to them)?

My roost will be placed 18" away from the east wall in my coop. There won't be any windows in the east wall, but there would be on the south and west (maybe that will encourage them to face "out" into the coop-- better view??

Anyhow, my concern is over what size I would need to make my dropping pit (if we include one). At first I thought it would end just past the roost (about 18" +/- from the east wall). But then it dawned on me that this would only work if the hens face west (and therefore poop on the east side where the dropping pit is located). So what's the likelihood that they'll turn the other direction (face east) and be pooping on the other side, too? (I realize there will be some droppings throughout the coop anyway, but probably more beneath the roost.)

I really can't see turning more than 1/2 of my coop into a dropping pit to accomodate those facing both east and west. Besides, the chicken wire is hard on their feet, right? So, if they're likely to face both directions, I'll probably just skip this design idea.

Thanks for any help/observations you can offer!

 

[MayberrySaint]

Mine roost frontwards, backwards and sideways...everything but upside down...

 

[4myHennyPenny]

And do you find most of their droppings within just a few inches of the roost? Or are they more spread out than than?

 

[MayberrySaint]

Mostly within a few inches of the roost...

 

[suburbanhomesteader]

Quote:
Mathematically speaking:

M=6Hx2Wx2E, divided by the square root of the number of chickens you have.


In other words, this is a Murphy corollary. The exact likelihood is in inverse proportion to the strength of your desire to have them all face west.

 

[dreamgirl]

LOL

I was just checking my girls and not only have they decided to face the back of the brooder on their roost where there is ony 6" (of course the ones on the lower one face the opposite way), but they refuse to use the nice new roomy brooder we built and opt instead for the tiny tiney one.

 

[4myHennyPenny]

Quote:

Glad to see we're using the same equation...

 

[thndrdancr]

Chickens always face North.

(j/k)

 

[4H kids and mom]

I think mine are weird then, because they always line up exactly opposite of the ones one either side of them. So one will face forward, then one backward, then one forward, and so on down the line. I like to joke that they do this so someone is watching all sides. lol

Although now that we put a top on the nestboxes, they seem to prefer to huddle there and most of the pullets face the wall, but the roos face out. Is that weird or what?

 

[barg]

Mine have decided to sit next to the window so they can look out and wave at the raccoon that wanders through.
Direction is irrelivent to them, they can wave at him coming or going, doesnt matter.