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LOL. The impetus behind this whole series of posts was that I was burned out on over-thinking! These silly chicks have consumed my entire summer! I had finally settled on an arrangement (my 5th) and a feeding plan (lost count of how many) and was hoping to get some experienced thumbs up or thumbs down (with specific corrections.)Hello fellow over thinker!I think your worries are sweet but I have learned (much like the others here) that too much intervention makes things worse, not better. My highest roosting bar is 5 feet, the lowest one is 1.5 feet. I have 5 bars in total spanning from 3 feet wide to 10 feet wide. I changed my setup probably 6 times before settling where I am now and I accept that it's as good as it's gonna get. Is it perfect? No. But it works, and the chickens like it. Sometimes they jump off the top bar and land funny and I worry, but nobody has been hurt. I have a sand floor so they land softly on that, but they will also fly out the door and hit the fence because they just want to fly. I've had them for 7 months now and no injuries. I think people like us strive for perfection and it just leads to stress which leads to overthinking. I think you're doing great! You got some good tips here and it's probably all you need. Let some of your pullets mature more and get closer to their final size before making anymore adjustments.
I am so encouraged and relieved! Several of you now have said you have bars that high without problems. The only change I've been led to make is to put the 24% protein feed away and use the bags of 16-17% in the treat cups with the scratch. That's good because one, it is less expensive and two, I have so very much of it.
As for your pullets staying on the roosts out of the way, that is great news! My young'uns have just this week started braving it into the coop during the day and hanging out on the roosts to avoid the mean girls outside. Until now, they hung out in the small, attached tractor run and brooder box. Evidently the hens ignore them, or at least don't harass them overmuch when coming in to lay. I figure that has to be a good sign. Although, when I come in to clean the poop boards or collect eggs, the big girls come in to see what I'm doing, initiating a frenzied exit by the younger ones. Very few hold their ground and wait to see what happens.
There really isn't a way to put in a window. I swapped the wooden door out with a greenhouse panel to try to create a little more light, but it is located under the roof of the covered run, so it is in complete shade at all times. In theory I could put one on the north wall behind the single tree branch perch, but my husband has threatened to divorce me if I try so... I'll wait to bring it up again until next year.
