Landing strip length

[Foster's Freehold]

OK, while it's raining, I'm designing the interior of my coop. Important points: Total area is 16x24. Sited with north/south sides being the longest. West wall will be common wall with a greenhouse with a 4ft door for ease of maintenance. I live in southcentral Kentucky, summers are hot and humid, winters can get to about 5 degrees for a week or better at a time. I've got plenty of ventilation planned.

I will be keeping bout 50 adult chickens. Welsummer hens, Black Australorp hens and roosters, Easter Egger hens, Barred Rock hens. I have a breeding scheme in mind and will be selling eggs and chicks. I'll be using the attached greenhouse as a sales area.

On north side will be 4 3x7 breeding pens (with available outdoor run)and 4 2x7 broody/growout pens (with available outdoor run).These will be temporary for the breeding brooding season. West wall will be water/feeding stations, a woodstove will be on the other side of the wall, hoping bleed thru heat will keep water and food from freezing. East wall will have a 2ft people door for access to the generator if the need every arises.

That gives me a 4x16 ft section available for roosts. I will hang them so that they can be lifted for stirring of deep litter. Other than that, I'm not sure which direction to go. Since I will have more than one rooster, I'm leaning to the all one level approach with a couple of ramps for up and down. However, I know chickens will be chickens and some will want to fly down. If I place the roosts parallel with the long side, there will be 3 ft. from outermost roost to breeding pens. If I go shortways, I could have several hung on the length with landing strip between.

My questions is: Just how much room is enough room for them to land? All of the threads I've seen just keep referring to "enough room for landing", no hard numbers.

 

[squadleader]

I'm fuzzy on this, but if I recall correctly, the landing distance is twice the height of the jumping off point, so a 3 foot roost would need six feet of distance. I'm not positive though, but it makes sense to me since a chickens flight is somewhat vertical, and that 2 to 1 ratio I gave you is indicative of that, it's a 45 degree angle.

Anyway, I hope that helps, I do think using that ratio is being generous with the bird, rather than stingy, so that's a good thing.

I will say I'm confused about the layout, not that it matters for this particular question though. Have you already built the structure?

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Thanks squadleader. Nope, in designing and digging post hole phase lol. I know it is gonna be 16x24 and one wall being common to the greenhouse. I've waited 30 yrs for this so it's gonna be the size I want lol.

Just envision standing in the doorway of a hoopcoop that is 24ft long. On the left will be breeding and brooding pens, there will be a 3 ft door at the end, then the remaining 4 ft on the right is my roosting area. Food and water will be on the left, immediately inside the door. Nest boxes will be on the right immediately inside the door.

I am so excited. Finally getting my greenhouse and finally getting a coop that will support more than 6 birds, with breeding and brooding areas. I have enough 6ft tall dog pen panels to enclose an area about 1500 square feet, so they will be paddocked. 36 ft of that is doors, so I can put door/panel so that I can build foraging pens out from there. I'm going to attach a compost hoop to the building, so they have a place to scratch on bad weather days. I'm really hoping that there is enough room so that I never have to walk a muddy run again.

 

[squadleader]

That's a big building, it'll be great when you're done, and enjoying it! Here's to good luck and good weather, for the coming construction!

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Thanks. I know it is big, but I don't want to have to build again and I want to try to develop a sex link easter egger that is hardy, dual purpose and can go broody. So I'm going to be working with 4 breeds.

The greenhouse is going to be the same size, I hope to start up a little business with herbs, compost etc etc. And, I'll have a warm place to sun myself in the winter! I hate cold lol.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would put the roosts the short way: multiple 4' roosts. IMO, a 3' long landing strip will result in a lot of concussions.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

With chickens being chickens and ignoring the useful things we do for them such as ramps. I know at least some would be fliers lol. I think I'm going to do as you suggest lazy Gardener and put multiples the short way, 3 ft tall with 6 foot between them. Will have to think if that will give me enough roost space.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Well duh, I forgot that there will be roosts in the breeding pens, I can make them permanent. So yep, that will be enough roost space for the 50 birds! Thanks for all the help y'all.

 

[Folly's place]

Looking forward to pictures!
Mary

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Me too Mary, but all you'd see right now is some white measuring twine and post holes lol. Soon as this rain lets up, I'm going to get the posts set and add the foundation, 2 inch concrete with 4x4's laid in it between the posts, with 2x4 wire aprons beneath the concrete. By the time it has cured enough, maybe the weather will settle some and I can start framing.