Almost Finished with our New Chicken House!

[Bullitt]

You got a good deal on lumber and materials. They did a nice job.

Is there enough room on the floor to put some more milk-crate nesting boxes? If not, you could block off that area so the chickens will use the higher nesting boxes (maybe).

 

[CarolJ]

You can use cardboard to close off underneath the nesting boxes. Once they've been laying in the nest boxes for a week or two, you can remove the cardboard. I nailed up lots of cardboard when my chickens first moved into their new chicken house to keep them from roosting where I didn't want them to roost, and to get them to lay in the nest boxes. After a couple weeks, I took all the cardboard down because they had learned where to do what.

Your chicken house looks great. Congratulations!

 

[saltnprepper]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I think we should have made the nestbox holder smaller and maybe stacked some on the bottom, they are laying underneath it. Also, they don't seem to like
the holes in the crates when they try to situate themselves- I think I will go to the dollar store and get some cheap mousepads (slick ones you can clean) to put in the bottom.
Quote:
We're in Oregon! My husband works in a sawmill and friends work in a plywood mill. We paid $5.00 a sheet for 10' shop plywood. I also paid $30.00 for the door and for the window from a local place that recycles building materials!

I have seen those thin cutting boards used for this purpose. They are bigger than the mouse pad and can easily be cut to size, also you get like 2 or 3 in a dollar pack.

 

[angelbabyamy]

Thanks, that sounds like a better idea than the mousepads! One hen laid under the roost today! They are feeling all outta sorts- I combined two separate coops into one. The roosters are having a ball,but my hens aren't My Marans are little stinkers!
One of my hens keeps pecking at the paint on the door- I am worried about lead.

 

[NativeBeauty]

No lead in paint since 1978, so you're covered

. I too, use milk crates, but mine sit directly on the floor of the coop** with a flake of straw in eachh for cushion and a few fake porcelain eggs (from the Cracker Barrel) in each nest. I'm told its a visual cue of where to lay at...so far so good!!
**my four year old can get into the nests for the eggs**

 

[Wyogirl]

Nice job!!
Ayda

 

[NativeBeauty]

I use milk crates in my coop as well, however I keep mine directly on the ground. I placed a patio brick in the bottom (to weight the milk crate from tipping)and covered with a flake of straw to cushion the brick. So far so good, however I need to increase my nests from two to three, as my Muscovy has decided to claim one as her own to brood in. I had read that heavy birds, like my Orpingtons, have difficulties with leaping into the shelved nest boxes, so I attempted to eliminate that with lining up the nest boxes along the back wall of the coop. Again, no complaints from my biddies with the arrangements What would be an appropriate amount of boxes for 12 standards and one Muscovy laying?

 

[MARANMAN2011]

Looks good

 

[angelbabyamy]

They want to lay on the floor.........only 3 seem to lay in the nestboxes.

 

[wilbilt]

Excellent deal on the plywood. I am using OSB for my coop. Not my first choice, but at $10/sheet, I can almost afford it LOL.