Will chickens roost in front of open windows & is it ok for them?

[PoultryPromulgator]

Hi folks.

I'm nearing the roost or perch placing phase of my build and I have sliding windows that will have a perch in front of the closed part of the window and I'm wondering if I should also run the perch in front of the opening side as well. There is no trouble at all doing this and I was going to do it anyway and let the chooks decide where they want to be, but I thought I'd better run the idea past the experts first.

I live in Queensland, Australia. The temperatures here are subtropical. We have only had frost once in the last decade and it very rarely gets below 5°C (40°F) in the dead of Winter and occasionally reaches over 35°C (95°F) in Summer.

I will be covering part of the window height with corflute as weather protection and the upper portion with mesh. Should I use Aviary mesh (½" square mesh), what I think you guys call hardware cloth, or can I just use heavy grade 3" x 2" mesh? Basically I want to know would the chooks like to stick their heads out for a look around? I'm fairly sure they could do this without being concerned about predators. I'm just interested in knowing whether it is the sort of thing a chicken would like to do.

Assuming that the perch will be between 500mm and 600mm (20" and 24") off the floor I'm assuming there will be a ladder of some sort required. What distance apart should the rungs be keeping in mind that I am hoping to get bantams. I have absolutely no experience with chickens. Do they jump/flap their way up to a perch or walk up a ladder like I see people using as the ramp from coop to run, and can it be like a ladder, spaced out rungs, or must it be a ramp as most people seem to use?

How deep is the litter supposed to be? I will have a slide out tray for the whole floor which is 1500mm x 1300mm (60" x 52") the depth can be anything.

Also, while I'm here, I was wondering if there would be any reason to add a solar powered night light either inside or out. I can't think of a reason for one but ever since I saw one for sale I can't get them out of my head.

Sorry about all the questions but I want to get this right so the birds are as happy and contented as possible.

Mmmm. I can't wait for my very own fresh Cackleberries.

 

[fiberart57]

Hello from Colorado, USA!

I have noticed that my chickens will not roost by a window when they first go in at night but by morning they've kind of spread out along their roost and some are by the windows. They look out but really, at night, they sleep and don't do much sight seeing. If you have predators that can stick their little paws through a 2"x3" mesh, you'll want to put something tighter in covering over it. I use hardware cloth and use fence staples, the kind you have to hammer in, to secure it because the racoons here have some kind of super powers and can rip it out. Perches for standards are supposed to be about 18 inches apart, I think it's about 10" for bantams.

I think that your night time temperature will not harm the birds, they're fairly hardy down to pretty cold. What they don't like are drafts; windy areas that will enter the coop and blow on them. You might want some kind of covering for the windows if they are along the same height as the perch when the weather is cold. I don't think you'll need additonal heat for adult birds, fully-feathered ones, just young chicks.

As regards to the height. My roost is 24" above the floor and they have no problems leaping up onto it at night. I have about three inches of wood chips down as bedding so that when they land in the morning, they are somewhat cushioned. Mine are standard birds and bantams can fly even better. I'm not sure that they'll need a ladder but I don't think so. Just something to cushion their landing. I could be wrong, I'm kind of new myself.

Some people use a night light to keep them laying during short winter days. Some people don't and the chickens lay anyway. I have no eggs yet, my chickens are still young but I don't plan to use a light. I think that the winter rest or slow down will be good for their bodies, but that's just me. Another reason you may want a light is for them to find their way back to their coop if they are out freeranging. I have no experience with that yet because it's still summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and my girls just wander home when the light dims and put themselves to bed.

I hope this helps. I've learned a lot from this website and from reading lots and lots of library books but I'm still a relatively new chicken owner myself. I do, however, have six very happy, healthy young girls so I must be doing something right.

Mary

Edited for spelling but I still think I'm off on a few.

 

[CityChook]

Welcome from Minnesota!

Quote:
On my windows, I prefer to use 1/2 inch hardware cloth. I don't really want the chickens sticking their fool heads out, but more importantly, I don't want any critters sticking hands IN and hurting the girls while they sleep. I have a window on the Eastern side of my coop with the roost directly in front of it. I find that they like to sit and look out, even when the window is closed (all winter). It's also nice for sunrise. I placed the roost 18 inches away from the window/wall to keep them from pooping down the wall.

Quote:
I have standards (buff orps) so can't help you with the banties. My roost is 30 inches off the floor and they fly up/down with no problems. If you wanted to do some sort of structure to help them get to the roost then I'd do a ramp instead of a ladder. I'm not sure they could ascend a ladder with rungs (but I could be wrong.... just haven't seen it myself is all).

Quote:
I keep litter around 4-8 inches thick. I only clean out the coop twice a year.

Quote:
I don't know if you'll really need one or not, but you might want one just in case you need to do something in the dark out there. I don't provide any additional light for my girls and they continue to lay right through the depths of winter for me. I know that many offer supplemental light for egg laying, but I think they do this more in the mornings, in which case a solar powered light won't probably do you much help.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[PoultryPromulgator]

I love this forum. People are so incredibly helpful. It's a mini example of how the rest of humanity could be.

Thanks fiberart57 and CityChook. Wow! You answered everything in less than two hours.

Thanks so much.

One more quick question. How far from the window should the roost be assuming I am instructed to get full size chooks?

 

[Andrew C.]

G'day EVILGOD, I'm near Rockhampton, Central Queensland and 270 meters above sea level, quite windy, gets down around 5 or 6 degree's C in winter, my current coop is completely open from roost level up to the roof its a little cold in winter but good in summer, so my new coop will be two walls fully covered one covered up to just above roost level and one completely open, almost finished will post a pic tommorrow.

My main concern is if it will be too hot in the nesting boxes in summer. I think you pretty much have things covered, 500/600mm should be no problem for them to leap up on, my chooks have clipped wings and have no problem with a 450 mm jump I have a ladder, it's one piece of timer with rungs screwed to it,the rungs are about 150 mm apart and they do use it too if it suits them.

No need for a light unless your chooks go off the lay (and you don't want them to), I have australorps and ISA browns that have been laying steadily for two years now without a break with no lights and they are looking a little bit scruffy I wish they would molt, some of thier tail feathers look like needles, a rest would be good for them.

I don't use litter on the coop floor it's concrete and the torrential rain would make a real mess, so I just shovel and hose regularly I use the chook poop in the garden so it's no trouble for me.

They should only stick thier head out if there is something to pick at. Not really a concern in Aus, the only thing that has ever happened to my chickens is a Tawny Frogmouth flew in the coop one night chasing mice and knocked one chicken off it's perch by accident poor chook got a real fright though.

Good luck with your chookies.

Cheers, Andrew

PS. pic of a couple of my chooks sleeping next to wire and open air.

 

[PoultryPromulgator]

Thank you Andrew C. That's some really useful information.

The only reason I thought about the light was I plan on having the feed and water under the coop and I have no idea whether chooks ever wake up hungry or thirsty at night.

I'm on two acres at Greenbank, just south-west of Brisbane and there is a local Tawny Frog-Mouth that includes my place as part of its patrol area. I like lying at bed at night listening to its call.

 

[mayden]

My chicks love crowding in front of the roost I have in front of my window. I even have a roost above the window that gets quite a bit of use. Here's a couple of pics of the roosts. Even my little 4 week olds managed to get on the roosts.

 

[cmom]

I agree with Andrew C. If I understand right and if you are placing your roosts next to windows I see no problems. I am about to build a new coop and my roosts will be in front of a window. Also in my chicks coop I have a roost in front of the window. They love it and even though there are other roosts they all want to be on the one closest to the window.

Here is the rough draft plan for the new coop. It's not to scale.

 

[mdbokc]

During the summer when it is hot and cools to lower 70's (F) at night, my Orps all roost in front of a window. In the winter, they move to a roost along a solid wall.

 

[PoultryPromulgator]

Thanks folks.
Looks like there will be roosts in front of windows. As they are intelligent animals I thought they might like a roost with a view but I thought I had better ask the experts first.

Once again, thank you for your kind assistance.