building a coop

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bbblown

bbblown

Chirping
Dec 23, 2013
13
1
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Hi everyone my name is Frank.
I am in the process of building a coop. I have a 6 by 8 doll house I'm currently converting.I have a couple of questions that hopefully someone could answer.
1 How many nesting boxes do i need? i want 12 chickens
2 How big should i build them?
3 Do i build roosts over the nesting box area?
4 What is a good automatic chicken coop door opener?
5 lastly any other information on coop design that could help.[I'm new at this]
 
Here are your answers..
1. 3 to 4 nesting boxes are enough for 12 chickens.
2. A good size for a nesting box is 16 X 16 X 16 with a front stop to keep nesting material from falling out. Ideally use straw or hay for nests. More comfort for chickens then wood shavings. But both will work. Use what is available at time.
3. You can build roosts above nesting boxes, but a good idea in that position is to provide poop boards under roosts. Easier to clean up the gumdrops that will accumulate.
4 Ador 1 seem to be a favorite of mine. I looked at many and like this one at $200 approximate.
5. Provide sufficient ventilation and as much natural light into coop as reasonable.
Don't know what else to tell you unless you ask what you do not know.
WISHING YOU BEST AND
welcome-byc.gif
 
Welcome to Backyard chickens. You can check out the coops forum above. Many, many styles, sizes, etc. to ponder. Some have very detailed instructions. Most of all the rule of thumb is allow 4-5 sg.feet per bird Inside the coop - excluding roosts and nest boxes. The birds should have 10 sq.feet each in the outdoor run. A run cover of some sort will kept prevent raptor attacks. A solid cover can provide shade and some shelter from the elements.
 
Thank you for taking the time to respond . Is it better to build 4 nesting boxes? The shed has two windows and two gable vents in it. And one fixed window in the front gable. I will post a picture of it. I will also check out the door
 

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