Roost size and hight and the same for the nests

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michigan chick

michigan chick

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I have been searching for about an hour today looking for the suggested height and width to put the roosts. As well as how high to put the nest boxes and how many boxes I need. Is there a place that has all of this data. Because I also need to know if there is a height to keep the food and water hanging at. sorry if you have answered this before. I tried to search and found great coops but I also found lots of sizes and height differences.
 
Okay, I'll take a stab at answering your questions. I'm referencing from Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.

Roosts should be 2x4s flat side down and should have rounded edges. Allow at least 10 inches space for each regular-sized chicken, 12 inces for larger breeds.

Place the bottom roost 24 inches from the floor and at least 18 inches from the parallel wall, and space them 18 inches apart.

If floor space is limited, step-stair roosts 12 in. apart vertically and horizontally, so chickens can easily hop from lower to higher rungs.

Nests:
You should have 1 for every 4 hens.

For regular hens (leghorn type) size should be 12 in.W by 14 in.H by 12 in. deep
For heavy breeds: 14x14x12

They should be 18-20 inches from the floor and should have a perch just below the entrance so they will have a place to land before entering.

Place the nests on the darkest wall of the coop. Construct a 45-degree sloped roof above the nest boxes to keep birds from roosting on top.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
smile.png
 
I would only turn the 2x4 on flat side if you are in a cold region and are worried about your birds toes. I turned mine on short end and still trimmed the edges. The chickens love them. I did do the 12 inches apart and 12 inches up. It works very well and the chickens can hop from one perch to the next.
Also, consider a communal nesting box. it is 4x2 feet and enclosed with a small opening. it provides a dark area in which all the chickens can cozy together to lay eggs just like they do when they are sitting on a perch all crowded together.

And last but not least, run an electrical fence along the top of the chicken run walls so nothing can crawl over the fence and get in with your chickens. Predators of all kinds are brutal on your chickens. Especially, since your hens will be roosting low. They are the first to go.
Good luck, steve
 
To add to BSC's comments, you may wish to consider fold up nest perches, so the birds cannot get in the nests at night. Just hinge them so they fold up and block entrance to the nest. Fold them down in the morning so the nests can be used as normal.

Here's a real goody from the Davaroo archives:

Another option is to make the usual nests as BSC suggests, BUT face the nests to the wall. Leave a 10" wide gangplank along the inner side between nests and wall for the hens to enter the nests. Slope and hinge the top to keep the birds off of them and for easy access to the eggs.
Why would you do this?

To keep the nests dark and private, helping to eliminate egg eating. Cool, huh?
 
Quote:
Thank you for taking a stab at the answers to the questions.

My DH asked for me to check for answers to the exact same questions... Now we are ready to finish out our coop!

wee.gif
 

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