I would like some advice but I live in a mild winter climate?

[scrambled please]

I have got to change my rookie set up it is just too stupid. I live in Fl and it can get over 100* in the summer and mid 60tys in the winter and is pretty much always humid. I have a small hen house 4x4x4 it is well ventilated but my chicken only go in it a night. I just purchased a 6 foot high 10x6 chain link dog run. MY question is because of the heat, most of the time, can I leave the nesting boxes outside in the run. My husband built this hug structure with 6 nesting boxes. I have 8 hens, no rooster and it is built, I don't want to tell him I hate it.

I think the girls a laying in the shrubs but I don't know.

I'm just putting this out there because I don't know what to do and I am the only one I know that has chickens.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I tried nesting boxes in the run and no one used them. They like to go into the coop to lay. But for some of my coops, I just take a couple of plastic dishpans and put shavings in them (and a fake egg) for them to lay in. They use them.

I took the boxes out of the run and put them in my shed coop.

You can try it though- maybe your hens will use them!

 

[beth59]

We're in Pensacola and we keep a box fan going in the coop during the summer. My poor girls still sit in their nest boxes and pant, but I've never had them lay out in the open. When I've found eggs outside the coop, they're always under some kind of cover.

Beth

 

[Cargo]

They really like to feel secure and cozy when laying eggs.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You wont know till ya try it. I had a temporary nesting area out in run for a few weeks prior to finishing the winter coop and my girls used it. Was a double decker box; 27" high (13" each box), 13" deep by 14" wide with two batton boards along bottom of each box (so 6" lip). It had a back but was not attached. If a wind came up and knocked the leaning back board they would squack and squack until I replaced it for them to lay inside. Yeah, it was that make shift with hay nest and they loved it.

One of the Leghorns caught me taking the egg and put up a terrible ruckus then started using the coop shavings after. The others never minded me taking the eggs

 

[LaurelRidgeDreams]

I have a friend who lives in upper South Carolina. She has several chicken runs with partial roofs, no coops. All of her runs have nesting boxes in them and her chickens lay there, no problem. One set of nesting boxes is like a shelf with dividers and no top. There is a board in front of the boxes and a ramp down to the ground. I watched her chickens walk up the ramp, down the board and pick a nesting box. She has happy girls and lots of eggs.

 

[chics in the sun]

I'm here in Florida, too, and this is how I designed my coop, with the nesting boxes well-ventilated but also sort of "in" the "coop". They are slightly larger than most, as well, to allow for more air-flow. I have one BR who will occasionally lay next to the garage, but otherwise they are used daily, no problems.

 

[jjthink]

It's good that you posted.

4x4x4 seems to me too small for 8 hens so I don't know how you would also fit nesting boxes in there. My coop is about 6x4x 8 high for 2 birds, and allows me to add light and heat, and fans for cooling. There's enough room that fans don't blow directly on them. They are desperate for the fans in the summer and I'm up in NJ - still stinkin' hot and humid many summer days (especially this past summer - I may well have lost them without the fans...heat index often above 100 degrees).
JJ

 

[scrambled please]

Quote:
I think it is too small too but my hubby does what he does. The only time they go in it is at sundown otherwise they are in the high shrubs, they kinda lounge in them but I can't find the eggs. I can hear them cackle but can't find anything. That is why I decided I need to keep them where I can see something. I think my blacksnake my be eating well.

 

[scrambled please]

Quote:
I love this set up, I think I will fallow this design. THanks