CALLING ALL CHICKEN COOP GURUS

[mueri07]

They have not been as bad lately because of my dog roaming the backyard, after work I will be in the backyard brainstorming some ideas! Time is ticking as the chicks are getting bigger and bigger each day! Ruby, Kit and Dottie and my girls!

 

[mueri07]

some pics of the area, and my mut!! those boxes okay?

 

[donrae]

Boxes, for nest boxes? No, they're really not going to work.

Nest boxes need to be private, and they need to have bedding/shavings, etc to make the hen feel cozy and cushion the eggs from breaking. Keeping the bedding in the box means some sort of lip or facing on the front bottom edge, or the birds will just spill the bedding out on the ground while trying to arrange things to their liking. You've seen your dog try to "make" his bed? Chickens do the same thing with a nest, and will enthusiastically empty a nest box unless you design it to hold the bedding inside.

They'd also need a perch or some such, to be able to access the upper boxes. They can walk into the bottom one, but they'd have a hard time flying/flapping up to the level of the higher ones and physically getting into the box.

In my main coop, I use plastic totes for nest boxes. They're deep, I can put the bedding in and they can't scratch it out, the hens can hunker down and feel private. One downside is, a heavy hen perching on the edge to get in or out can tip the tote over, but usually it just rights itself when she jumps down. I do occasionally have a tote on it's side, but the bedding prevents eggs from being broken. One could probably use a screw and washer to fix the tote to the wall to keep it from tipping, but I also like that I can take them out and hose them if needed.

 

[mueri07]

The space is nowhere near finished, the boxes either. I have wood to attach to front of boxes, they will be sitting sideways in space with something under it to keep it sturdy. They will have a ladder as well going up to the boxes. This weekend wife and I will be working on it and the run and hopefully have a finished product as the chicks seem ready to be out of the small space they are in. Thanks for all the responses, I hope my space is good for the chicks!

 

[CLutze27]

Here is what I did for my boxes. You could do something similar and just put some legs on the boxes youve got to get it up off the ground a bit.

 

[mueri07]

Do we think my shed, being made out of a plastic/resin material will be insulated enough for the temps in Nebraska?

 

[biophiliac]

In Wisconsin temps many degree below zero my birds were very happy without insulation. A dry place to roost out of direct drafts but with good ventilation is key. You should be fine.

The material of your shed sounds interesting, nicer than metal, and plastic resin probably wouldn't harbor those annoying mites.

 

[mueri07]

Do you think I can cut out a pop door underneath the window so they can have free reign to their run? just hard since it is plastic

 

[biophiliac]

Yes I think you can, sorry I dk what tool to suggest for cutting that. Once you figure that out it would be nice to add another window for natural light inside. When weather is bad I keep some food inside the coop and they need to see to eat. You may want to have some more ventilation up high above your roosts(and the roosts higher than the nest boxes). So if you mount the nest boxes 15 - 18 inches above the floor they can utilize all the floor space and then get the roosts mounted a little higher than the top of the boxes, and extra ventilation above that to draw out the humidity that the birds themselves produce thru respiration and poop, etc.

 

[mueri07]

pics to come, run is built just needing to put some netting over the top and create a pop door and a little more ventilation. next weekend should be finished and chicks in their new home!