How much roosting space for chickens

This is how they can sleep without falling off the perch. To do this, they need to be on a round roost. Roosts should be at least inches off of the floor to allow the hens to breathe clean and dry air while sleeping.

If possible, have roosts at varying heights because that helps with flock dynamics. A ladder-style roost is best, so that the heavy hens can hop up and down. There should be head room above the top run to allow for air flow. Windows : Sunlight is essential in a coop. Hens have very poor night vision. Also, sunshine is a natural sanitizer. I am building my nesting boxes, 2 rows of 4 nests, stacked. My hens only three so far, roost on top of the coop.

I live in a very warm climate year round. My hens free range, and use the coop for shelter from the rain, and to lay in the nesting box. They seem to really like that. My problem is that they roost on top of the coop, so every morning I clean poop. I made a roost a couple feet taller than the coop. There is only one bar, and it is about five feet high. Should it be lower? It may be the solidity of the roof that they like.

You might tack paper under where they roost to make clean up quicker. You could them put the paper in your compost pile where it will degrade quickly. Bigger birds with larger feet will have a bigger chance of exposed toes in cold, windy northern winters. In warmer climates that may not be an issue. Was also thinking of a drop board under the roost, how would i support the 8 foot long roost need to make sturdy thanks Sheri.

I find that my ladies need more space, mostly to get up onto the roost. My roosting bars are only 36" long for 3 birds and they all sit on it to one side. I am sure others will pipe in hear too, Steve. Frost bite usually occurs if there is poor ventilation. Moisture from breathing and fumes from excrement needs to vent out, if too humid your chickens will have frost bite in mere 32 F temps. Proper venting and my girls did fine last winter below 0 F and a few nights of without heat or insulation.

Many use 2x4 the wide way to allow them to sit on feet completely apposed to dowels or 2x2 where they grasp the roost. Protects toes come harsh winter. Feb 19, 1, 7 LaFayette, NY. Sep 1, 3 89 New Hampshire.

I've got 5 bars in a tilted ladder configuration, each 4' long. Sometimes one or two drop down to the 2nd. That said, I think having lots of elbow room isn't a bad thing at all to keep them from fighting, especially if they spend a lot of time in the coop. I'm looking at putting in another 4' roost under the two rows of nesting boxes before we introduce the newest ones in a few months.

Jun 8, 89 Pliny, West Virgina. Most people say about 8" per bird but it does depend on the breed. Here are mine in the new building made from rough 2" x 6"s and store bought 2 x 4's.

These are hinged so i can pull the whole thing off the floor and tie it to the rafters if i need to get under it for cleaning. Quote: Thats Sweeet! Check out your page to thats some Good healthy Looking Birds you got. Hope to see our's looking that good! MareeZoCool Songster 9 Years. Feb 3, 1, 19 Ohio - Mid Ohio Valley. Post reply. Insert quotes…. Hi Holly, If there is any risk of predators then yes, I would keep them in a run.

The smallest size you could have is 30 square foot, but the bigger the better for them! I have 25 chickens Rhode islands, black sex links and barred rocks. I am getting ready to fence in my field which is about ft by 90 ft.

If I use 5 ft fencing can I let them roam free without clipping their wings? Hi Jefferie, You can certainly let them free roam whilst they are pullets and young hens. However, once they mature and their feathers grow you will need to clip their wings to stop them flying over the fence. I am new to raising chickens.

I have 3 leghorn laying hens and one guinea hen. The guinea is being harassed by the other hens. Should I separate her from the others or just let them establish a pecking order? Hi Annette, It depends on how much they are being harassed. Do you have to train hens to lay in their boxes? I had chickens free rangevyears ago and it was easter every day hunting eggs on 5 acres. I will get new birds soon and would like them to lay in the boxes. Any words of wisdom?

When we used to have completely free range, some of them would lay in the nests, but some always decided the hollow tree down the road was better, or a dozen and more other spots. Just like Easter daily searching for eggs before breakfast. And then there were the ones who managed to hide their nests and show up with a flock of chicks. And some decided to roost in trees instead of coming back to the coop at night. Keeping them contained for night and morning works way better, if you want the chickens safe, and easy-to-find eggs in the nests.

I got the chickens for my wife and the poop, gardening is my passion If I plan to move it daily and never let these ladies roam free. Should I still stick within these parameters? I plan on building an A-Frame or triangle style.

Obviously the coup should be the same size, but if they are getting moved around daily do I still need the 15sq ft for the run on the bottom? Thanks for the great info! I am in the beginning stages of owning chickens.

I live in a small town and just found out after 5 years of living here that I can have chickens. I am only looking at two, maybe three. I have two dogs but I have trained them to leave my resident rabbit alone. The also keep a healthy distance from George The Hedgehog. Would any of the above breeds be less anxious around the dogs? Thanks for all the great information you provide!

Hi Nedra, Congratulations! When are you planning to get your chickens? I am looking to get about Golden Comet hens, and am planning on letting them be pretty much free-range chickens.

However, I would like to know if they are free-range, should I still give them feed? If so, how much should I give them and how often? Hi I was thinking of making the kids old cubby house into a coop and having a run attached to that. My question is if they are in the run and the coop door is open will they go in them selves and will i need to lock the door?

Hi Ed, It depends if the run will have a roof cover or not? I would generally recommend around 4ft! Hello my name is Tiffaney. I live in a housing development with ample space in the backyard and a privacy fence.

Is there anything that can be done for me to not lose my chicken? He is a backyard chicken breed and very well taken care of. Spoiled in fact hahaha. Hi Tiffaney, The first thing I would do is check your local town laws and ordinance.

Best of luck, Claire. Hello my name is Lucy and I have a small chicken coop 5 square feet with a 12 square foot run attached to it. My garden is pretty big. I live in Australia too, Is there anything I should put in my coop or can do to make sure they are ok in the hot summer? I bought myself a house at the end of last year, and my greatest wish was to have chickens in my garden! I have a very nice sized back garden that is fenced and gated. Thank you for all of your invaluable advise.

I have 23 chickens in a square foot portable fence. My question is with this much space do I need to supplement their diet with laying mash? I hope that makes sense. Hi Ruth, I would always recommend feeding them laying mash regardless of how much roaming space they have. This is becuase if you want your hens to lay well they need protein. The garden is big enough for them but they eat everything in sight.

I could let them out in the yard but I am afraid they would run into the road or get caught by a coyote or a hawk. Is there something else I could do? Have you looked at chicken tractors Abby? You can even get them with mesh floors to stop predators such as Coyotes digging underneath… Claire.

My wife and I are considering getting chickens and might have a larger space to put a few coops in. Hi Chris, In short no! Is there any particular reason why you want to split the flock? We have around an acre which in theory could hold hundreds of chickens. Maybe a couple of different coops to help us better manage until we get used to it.

Starting slowly mind you, but settings things up far in advance would be necessary for more critters. Ah ok I see. Personally I would try to house them all together, otherwise it could cause trouble with the pecking order.

Hi Claire, We are a small family intending to keep maybe 3 chickens. Both meet your suggested mins and are not easily moved. We will have 1 enclosed run about 6ft x 15ft with an outside mobile tractor also. Is it OK to build both coops inside the run or will 2 cause issues and we recycle one please? Are there any particular breeds that wing clipping would not be necessary, provided the fencing is ft tall? Great article, it had nearly everything, however I was wondering what is the max coop square foot size per bird before it becomes to large for them to heat it.

Me and my little sister are getting chickens an d I was taking notes and I got over a full page thank you guys for the great article. I am new to the chicken world. I am also planning on giving the. Access to another portable run during the data, allowing access to grass. I have 4 silkies, 2 Cochins, 1 welsummer, 1 ameraucana, 1 Barred rock and 1 Easter egger.

Is it ok for them to roam on buffalo grass field? Or should the grass be mowed down first?