Height for roosts

[Sungrove Farmstead]

This seems like a dumb question, but there are none of those right? Lol

When looking at putting in roosts to a walk-in coop, how do you decide how high to make them? I want lots of roosts, probably in the ladder-style, but if I make them very high up should I provide the chickens a way to get up there without having to fly up?

It seems dumb because the chickens fly up pretty high on a regular basis but it seems mean to make them to go to bed (and I don't think the rooster can get his big butt up very high lol)

How do you provide a way for them to get up without eating up lots of room in the coop? Or, how low to the ground do you keep them? I'd like to put a poop board up to be able to hang their food underneath

 

[Chickenaddition]

I would say that the main thing is to have your roosts above your nest boxes. That is the main thing. The next thing is that depending on how many you have I would say that having them all at the same roost height would help minimize fights on roosts, however for some ladders work. Roosts generally do take up a decent amount of space. You need a bare minimum of 10" of roost per full size chicken. Pecking order issues will also occur on the roost so the more space the better so that certain chickens can get away from other chickens.

I would generally put the roost at a height that all the chickens can get to, but is higher than the nesting box.

I prefer to keep food and water outside of the coop but I live in the south so that's easier for me to say than others to do.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I don't really know the rights and wrongs of roost height, but what I will say is that we still use the same system my grandfather used many, many years ago and it has always worked for us. Our chickens live in a walk-in shed and inside is essentially a long table with a ridged ramp for them to walk up on to it. On the table are two milk crates, one either end, with the perch resting on top of them. The perch itself is actually a pair of perches but joined at both ends... it looks a bit like someone has laid a ladder down but taken out all the rungs except the top and bottom if you see what I mean.

Chickens of all shapes and sizes have been OK with this set up and they can all get up there easily. They just walk up the ramp and then hop up onto a crate and walk along or jump up onto the perch itself. Some of them cosy up with King Olaf whilst others spread out. Since I have been more involved in the chickens I have been grateful for the set-up, as I can just remove the perches and crates for cleaning, spraying for mites etc. It's not fancy but it is convenient.

ETA: our nesting boxes are at floor height so significantly lower than the perches. The table format also means that the area of floor underneath the perches stays clear.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hi! I agree that they just need to be higher than the nesting boxes. I had the same question when building my walk-in, and I went with one long roost. I started with it just 18 inches off the floor. I raised it to set atop a poop board (SO glad I did!). The poop board is 24" off the ground. The roost is another 8 inches (I think) above that.

I made ramps for my birds. The main reason I did is because I have 2 very large ladies (a Cochin and a Brahma), ad I felt as though they needed the help. I also wanted to give them a way down that would prevent hard landings. My coop is 4x8 (I only have 4 pullets). The roost is 4 ft long, and they use about 2 of it. I put it across the narrow part of my coop. The area they needed to jump/fly down seemed waaay too small to be adequate to allow them to do so without whacking into something. My BPR and BO just fly straight out of the big door. The other two take the ramp partway and jump the rest.

Here are some pics. This was before I added treads to the ramps. There are treads now - I promise! The other ramp leads to the nesting boxes, which have since been redone to be external. Note to self: I need to take new pics of the coop.

 

[fldiver97]

My walk in coop is 6x6..... I have 2 rooststhat are ‘staggered’. They’re 2x4 flat side up, the top one is less than 4 ft up and far enough out from the wall for the girls to roost without hitting the wall. Second roost is less than a foot lower and “one chicken length” out from the top one. Both roosts are on brackets so they can be taken out or be replaced. The poop board is about 6” below the low roost, has a 2” removable lid, it’s filled with PDZ and I just scoop it like a litter box. Best thing ever! I have a ramp (detachable) for the chickens to go up/down. I use the space under the poop board for 3 nesting boxes and there is room left. I use hanging feeder.

 

[Sungrove Farmstead]

My walk in coop is 6x6..... I have 2 rooststhat are ‘staggered’. They’re 2x4 flat side up, the top one is less than 4 ft up and far enough out from the wall for the girls to roost without hitting the wall. Second roost is less than a foot lower and “one chicken length” out from the top one. Both roosts are on brackets so they can be taken out or be replaced. The poop board is about 6” below the low roost, has a 2” removable lid, it’s filled with PDZ and I just scoop it like a litter box. Best thing ever! I have a ramp (detachable) for the chickens to go up/down. I use the space under the poop board for 3 nesting boxes and there is room left. I use hanging feeder.

What kind of brackets do you use? I am loving this idea of removable ones, my goal is easy cleaning but also basic design lol

 

[Ridgerunner]

This is how I made mine removable. Drill a hole and drop a large nail through. But you can buy brackets at the hardware store or basically build an open box out of lumber. Some people hinge their roosts so they can swing them up out of the way. Like everything else there are lots of different ways to do these things.

The way I determine roost height is to determine the level of the floor considering any bedding. Then position the nests. Some people put the nests on the floor, some high enough that they don't have to bend over to gather eggs, some somewhere in between. Then put the roosts higher than the nests. How high above the nests? If they are right at the nests 6" or so will probably be enough. If they are across a large coop then 12" is probably better. They need to be obviously higher.

I want my roosts reasonably low. In winter I want the ventilation over their heads so I get good air exchange without a breeze hitting them on the roosts. Also the higher the roosts the more clear space they need to fly up or down without hitting nests, walls, feeders, or waterers. They need room to spread their wings so they can fly.

My chickens are full-sized breeds but not big for the breed. If they are big for the breed they can possibly hurt their legs jumping down, especially if they don't have enough room to spread their wings. I don't worry about that but some people do. Mine have no problems flying up or down with my 5 feet high roosts.

Some chickens, like Silkies, can't fly. They need a ramp. It may sound counterproductive, but if your coop is so small they can't fly up or down you may need ramps or intermediate steps like a ladder so they can walk or hop to the roosts.

 

[fldiver97]

Not the best pictures but it may give you a better idea.... I have home made wood brackets, base is a piece of 2x2. Initial plan was just to secure the board with one (easily) removable long screw. Next thought was to make the brackets out of pieces of 2x2 to ‘cradle’ the 2x4 and be able to just lift them out. You can probably also find some metal brackets at the hardware store, some of the shelving brackets may also work

What kind of brackets do you use? I am loving this idea of removable ones, my goal is easy cleaning but also basic design lol

The ladder and litter pans were temporary, I finished the poop board with a removable lip 3” high, lined with an old yoga mat (when that’s shot I’ll use an old shower curtain liner) and filled it with PDZ. You can see a little of the nesting boxes under the whole setup

 

[Sungrove Farmstead]

When I get there I’ll defintely find somebody kind of bracket or probably have my Hubby fab up some custom brackets to slip 2x4s down into

 

[aart]

Height of roosts can depend on size of coop, they need room to fly/jump down without crashing into something, or be provided functional ramps.
Here's some tips on heights:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/
Might also depend on how you plan to manage manure, I use poop boards.

I don't really know the rights and wrongs of roost height, but what I will say is that we still use the same system my grandfather used many, many years ago and it has always worked for us.

I would love to see pics of this setup @HollyWoozle .