New chickens... New pallet racking coop... And learning

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pickleskipper

pickleskipper

In the Brooder
Apr 23, 2015
12
2
24
Wichita, Kansas
Well... My daughters and wife finally broke me down about a month ago at Atwoods, and we took the plunge with 6 baby Chicks. Three yellow Sussex and three black Sussex made their way home with us and the "fun" began. With baby's in a heated stock tank, the timer had begun on needing a Coop and a run.

I looked all over for different ideas on what a coop needed, how to build, existing kits, ect... But finally decided I was just going to go ahead and tackle it myself. I have some old pallet racking that has been laying around, and it seemed like a good place to start. So after a couple of runs to the local Menards, and a few late nights in the garage, I am making progress.

So here is where I started:
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Built a vent across the top and trimmed out some 1/2" mesh on the bottom with a couple runners so I could drag the coop:
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Added siding with a back door to the run below:
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Here it is when they open:
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Finished out a couple doors with some windows that will come out, and it's ready for roofing:
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Now for the questions that I am hoping to get a little help with if at all possible...
1. At what age do these girls need a roost inside of the coop? Can I wait or will they use the roost right away (considering they are only 5 weeks old right now)?
2. Nesting boxes: while I plan on fabricating some out of 5-gallon buckets for them... Again at what age do they need them and should they be inside of the coop?

I have a number of things on the Honey do list for this weekend anyways, and wouldn't mind taking a week off from the coop if at all possible, unless they need a roost and nesting boxes now?
 
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First there is the matter of size. Rule of thumb is 4-5 sq. feet per bird inside the coop (excluding roosts and nest boxes). The outdoor run should have 10 sq. feet per bird. If chickens are too crowded they resort to fighting, feather pecking and sometimes cannibalism. They need space.

They may not use the roosts immediately but, you can put them on the roost at night so how them where they should sleep. If there are no roosts when they move in they will decide to sleep somewhere else. They will be very stubborn about giving that up.

The nest boxes can wait, a few weeks, no one will be laying yet and if you have them available too early the chicks will learn to sleep in them and poop in them. You wouldn't want them doing that once they are laying. When you have them installed put up a barrier so they cannot use them until they are ready to lay.

If you visit the coops and predator sections you will find out why some things are done in a certain way.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Nice start to the coop! You might want to post in the Coop/Run design forum. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance X2, you can put up the roosts at any time, they may not use them quite yet, but no reason not to have them up. The nesting boxes they don't need until 14 weeks or so as that is about the very earliest they might possibly lay. Most people have nests inside/ attached to the coop, especially in places that have bad weather where they will be reluctant to go outside.
 
drumstick diva said:
First there is the matter of size.  Rule of thumb is 4-5 sq. feet per bird inside the coop (excluding roosts and nest boxes). The outdoor run should have 10 sq. feet per bird.  If chickens are too crowded they resort to fighting, feather pecking and  sometimes cannibalism.  They need space.

They may not use the roosts immediately but, you can put them on the roost at night so how them where they should sleep.  If there are no roosts when they move in they will decide to sleep somewhere else.  They will be  very stubborn about giving that up.

The nest boxes can wait, a few weeks, no one will be laying yet and if you have them available too early the chicks will learn to sleep in them and poop in them.  You wouldn't want them doing that once they are laying.  When you have them installed put up a barrier so they cannot use them until they are ready to lay.

If you visit the coops and predator sections  you will find out why  some things are done in a certain way.
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Thanks for the replies... Sounds like I have a little time on the nesting boxes but need to get to work on the roosts.

I guess I should have clarified on the final goal of all of this. I wanted a coop and run that was portable enough to be dragged behind my Kubota to another part of the property, but still big enough to handle 6-8 chickens. Being 4' x 8', I have 32 sq ft of coop available, which should be over the 5 sq ft rule for 6 chickens. The nesting boxes and roost will be hanging from the steel beams, which in turn means they have full use of the floor of the coop with no obstructions. Concerning the run... One end of the run (under the coop) is designed to come off so that I can attach my separate portable run system I have designed out of goat panels. It will be 5' x 16' (80 sq ft), so when you add that to the 32 sq ft of run under the existing coop that gives me 112 sq ft of total run space. In any case, I have 3 acres that we plan on letting the girls free range on the vast majority of the time.

With a weekend of gardening ahead of me, I will have to put this project aside till this coming week. But I will update as soon as I can... And of course as with all newbies, I have done a ton of research but still have a million questions. Thanks for everyone's help.
 
Update... I did get the roosting area finished inside of the coop. After going out every night and placing the hens on the roost, they finally went up on their own last night and were already asleep on the roost when I got out there!

I was also able to complete the run and add it to the existing Coop. It is 12'x6' on 4x4 skids which makes it easy to pull around the property with my Kubota. Yesterday was the first day the ladies had a chance to run around in it, and they sure seemed to like the extra room to stretch their legs!

QUESTION: Do I need a roost in the run? If so how high should it be?

Thanks...
 

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