nesting boxes

[jaxia]

we built our coop after looking at some simple designs on line and what we could find at Atwoods. our nesting boxes were located on the left of the attached photo. my stubborn lil chickens decided sleeping in there was a good idea. ive since read that the roosts should always be the highest area which when we looked at the pre-mades at atwoods it wasnt :/ our roosts are dowel rods at 2 different heights at the far end of the actual enclosed area and have only been used a few times when Amy gets curious when im cleaning the nest area. Anyways we removed the dividers and added a 2x4 to the nesting area since ive also been informed some birds just dont roost. if u give them a flat wide surface they will however perch there instead of laying down in the pine shavings. my dilemma is that i need nesting boxes now and our coop isnt very large to begin with. my question is, can nesting boxes be ground level? the underneath of the enclosed area is accessible via a hatch outside the run since i originally had the food and water there before we hung everything up. we can build a box similar to the original nesting area and use my hatch as a lid. seems to b the best option that will not take away any of the avail space. the hub is NOT happy with how the coop turned out and would b very upset if i had shared a pic so shhh. i think its awesome and we did a great job but ran into some issues that i would think are common to newbies.

 

[MrChicken095]

In my opinion I think that that would be the best compromise for the situation, without totally changing the coop itself. But do the chickens go down there often enough to know it exists?

P.S.-I won't tell your husband.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Isn’t it interesting in how when we build something we are never satisfied? We know where all the flaws and mismatches are but others generally look at it without seeing those flaws. That coop looks serviceable. Small but serviceable. Trust me, we all run into those issues when we build, even if we have done it before.

Chickens don’t care a lot where the nests are. They will normally happily accept a nest any level we put it as long as they have access. When my hens decide to stop laying in the nest in the coop and hide a nest, it is normally somewhere on the ground. People tend to worry a lot more about this than chickens.

I have two concerns with a nest on the floor. You need to make sure it stays dry. If that is in an area that floods, you may have to raise it a tad.

The other issue is that chickens scratch a lot. If the opening to get into the nest is too low, the chickens may scratch dirt or poop into the nest from the run. So make their entry fairly high. I don’t know how much room you have to play with, but I’d make their entryway at most 8” high and put that at the top on the entry side. I’ve had full sized hens use an opening 6” high to access a nest so that can work, depending on what breeds you have, but I like it a bit larger. 8” is plenty for any hen though.

 

[jaxia]

In my opinion I think that that would be the best compromise for the situation, without totally changing the coop itself. But do the chickens go down there often enough to know it exists?

P.S.-I won't tell your husband.

yes the chickens go under the coop often, Amy likes to hang out under there by the water tube and dust bathe. its a nice shady place that they will also use if its raining and they stay in the run.

 

[jaxia]

Isn’t it interesting in how when we build something we are never satisfied? We know where all the flaws and mismatches are but others generally look at it without seeing those flaws. That coop looks serviceable. Small but serviceable. Trust me, we all run into those issues when we build, even if we have done it before.

Chickens don’t care a lot where the nests are. They will normally happily accept a nest any level we put it as long as they have access. When my hens decide to stop laying in the nest in the coop and hide a nest, it is normally somewhere on the ground. People tend to worry a lot more about this than chickens.

I have two concerns with a nest on the floor. You need to make sure it stays dry. If that is in an area that floods, you may have to raise it a tad.

The other issue is that chickens scratch a lot. If the opening to get into the nest is too low, the chickens may scratch dirt or poop into the nest from the run. So make their entry fairly high. I don’t know how much room you have to play with, but I’d make their entryway at most 8” high and put that at the top on the entry side. I’ve had full sized hens use an opening 6” high to access a nest so that can work, depending on what breeds you have, but I like it a bit larger. 8” is plenty for any hen though.

he builds and does custom woodwork in houses so he is very disgusted with his coop. there is a big difference when it comes to building a 3000sq ft home and a 4x4 coop lol. im quite happy with it and thats all that matters! since they only use it to sleep in, or sometimes if it is raining they go inside, its just perfect for 3 chickens and they will stay warm in the winter. we have about 1 foot of space under the coop and like 2ft avail in the back for height if needed. i honestly think what will happen is he will make a box we will see how the winter goes and he may just remodel or rebuild in the spring. or he may just let it go, who knows? if he continues to get frustrated at it i do see a demo coming soon lol.


ty both for your help and suggestions

 

[QueenBubbles]

I love your coop! I also built a small one - 2x4x6 with 1 foot nest box area inside for my 2 bird flock. One turned out to be a boy, soooo I got another 2 babies and when they got old enough to integrate, decided they needed all the interior space. So I'm considering what to do for nest boxes, too. Here is mine:

I am also thinking that a nest box in the bottom part is a good idea. Yours looks nice and dry, dark and protected. What size box are you thinking? What kind of chickens?
I've had to make modifications because my Brahma is sooo big:

Also, if your husband insists on re-doing or making new one, keep the old one in case you have to quarantine sick birds or new birds. My littles were ready to be outside weeks before they were big enough to be integrated with the biggies.
I'd love to see pix of your chickies - go micro-flocks!!

 

[jaxia]

I love your coop! I also built a small one - 2x4x6 with 1 foot nest box area inside for my 2 bird flock. One turned out to be a boy, soooo I got another 2 babies and when they got old enough to integrate, decided they needed all the interior space. So I'm considering what to do for nest boxes, too. Here is mine:

I am also thinking that a nest box in the bottom part is a good idea. Yours looks nice and dry, dark and protected. What size box are you thinking? What kind of chickens?
I've had to make modifications because my Brahma is sooo big:

Also, if your husband insists on re-doing or making new one, keep the old one in case you have to quarantine sick birds or new birds. My littles were ready to be outside weeks before they were big enough to be integrated with the biggies.
I'd love to see pix of your chickies - go micro-flocks!!

tyvm! i love yours too!

i have 2 BR and one mutt. 1 of the BRs is a mutt too but she at least has a distinctive dominant gene, the other i haven't had any luck identifying. ill

our plan is to remove the hatch on the back, that i originally used for food before we got the hanging stuff, and build a box divided into 2 nests and attach it to the opening and use the hatch door as a roof and shingle it. its really the only option we have at the moment and i believe it will work out. the chickens already use that under area to hang out when they want really good dust baths. our run is mostly dirt now since they've eaten all my grass but they have only 2 areas they do the dust baths in. picky lil chickens

oh thats a very good idea about the isolation chambers! if he starts from scratch ill make sure to tell him to keep it around lol





im not sure why only 1 is showing up :/

 

[QueenBubbles]

Nice barred birds! It is fun watching them grow up!!