Will this coop fly?

[jjthink]

So, it seems that high roosts will not hurt their feet, when landing on a soild surface?

High roosts can hurt the bird when landing on hard surfaces. Best to have soft surface to land on (e.g. several inches of pine shavings) and also good for the birds to have amongst their options a lower roost. Injured, geriatric or otherwise compromised birds can't deal with the high perches. My birds actually prefer a sleeping shelf maybe 2 feet above the floor. Shelf is covered with a cushy layer of pine shavings, as is the floor. They first jump to a perch maybe a foot and a half off the floor and go from there to the shelf. Perch is perpendicular to the shelf and down toward one end of the shelf so that there is nothing obstructing their jump off that shelf in the morning. Okay to also have higher perches for those so inclined

JJ​

 

[gsim]

Quote:
That was a typo (blush)

that I did not see in time to change. Should have read 12" from wall. The 24" width means that no poop makes it to the floor from that roost. Any narrower, and there is a chance of some of it getting to the floor. (Trajectory

) Over a year's time, that can add up. Since my coop is a walk-in and is around 7 1/2 ft to the base of the roof trusses, I just cut that distance in half for roost ht all around. I set the poop boards at 1/2 of that. So the chooks hop up to the poop board, then to the roost. They reverse it for coming down, or sometimes just flutter down from the roost (about 4 ft). I do have deep litter on the floor at all times.

Chooks will aways try to roost at the highest place they can reach in a coop, even to the rafters if they can reach them.

I do have one lame hen who has nearly always been lame. Sometime she sleeps on the poop board

and sometimes under it.

Lately there is a black aussie that has joined her. Sometimes my wife finds them curled up side-by-side on the poop board together, sometimes on opposite poop boards (see 'My BYC Page' for poop board pics). Could be that she has some leg/ foot issue that I have not noticed. I suspect that more will opt for the poop board as they age. I have two roosts at 24" that they never use. Likely if leg/foot trouble, more comfy on poop board. Currently they are at age 20 months or so.

Gerry