My son is sketching out plans for the chicken tractor, and we need to know how high the roosts have to be? And will they all snug together on one roost, or should we put in 2 or 3? I'm planning on three standard sized hens, possibly RIRs, Rocks, or Ameraucanas (or combination -- depends on what the FFA kids bring to the fair and what they're willing to part with).
how high the roost?
My full size birds would squeeze 8 of themselves onto a four foot wide roost in the winter. I believe you allow 12 inches per bird, but that doesn't mean they'll take up 12 inches.
We start at 2 feet up, and then stagger them higher.
Thanks! Is a broomstick OK for this, or should I round out something like a 1x1?
Thanks.
Ann
Chickens don't perch (curl toes around a stick) so it's best they have at least 2 inches flat wood to roost on. We use 4" wide boards for roosts.
Gotcha. Thanks. I want very happy hens, so I appreciate all the advice I can get!
brigid, there's a pic of my roosts in the "help me" thread; I posted a link to my coop's pics.
I'll take a look; in fact I think I've seen them. I have a son who really wants to build me a coop that looks like a viking ship. That should really be fun. I'll have to make little metal brassieres for the hens, helmets with horns, all that... teach them to cluck "the ride of the valkyries..."
Zeppy, do you mind if I forward the pictures of your coop to my son? It will give him a much better idea of chicken requirements.
Ann
That's fine, but I'm sure there are much better ones out there!
Maybe, maybe not. I want him clear on the nesting boxes, and your pictures are worth a thousand words. I have a diagram but it's not the same. thanks, and if and when I get the tractor built, I'll post pictures. (Mine will be a tractor, not a real coop.)
Then I should mention that, though I love my outhouse seat nesting box, it's a pain if a hen is broody, because she steals all the eggs that are laid daily (since she can just roll them under her). I have to write on the original batch of incubating eggs to keep them under her, but if she pushes a bunch more under her, some of the original batch could get pushed out and get cold. If that makes any sense... :) With the box I have, I have to check several times a day, and I don't always have time for that.
Zeppy, I've got one like that too! She's an egg stealer!
Yeah it is a myth that perches for chickens should be round. I have flat strapping-ish perches fro 6" off the ground to 3 and a half feet. everyone likes to be high up. My old batch was used to sleeping on a peice of wood that was propped up on the ground and they were fine with that!
2-3 feet wide should be plenty wide.
Thanks for the input. I doubt I'll have to worry about egg stealing; I'm only going to have hens. :( I would SO love to have a rooster. Maybe one day. But at least I'm getting a good idea about what they need/want. Of course, they've been doing this without our help for quite a while.