Building an external laying box?

[queenie_29]

I have 4 chickens, all relatively large breeds, who are nearing the 20 week mark, so we are hopefully expecting some eggs soon! We made the mistake of buying quite a small coop. Due to the coop being so small, we don't want the girls to lay in there, on top of all their poop, but are stumped as to what to do. Is it essential to build an exterior nesting box, or should I just wait and see where they decide to lay, or let them lay in the coop?

On another note, I was thinking about trying out the deep littler method because I have read that that's a pretty efficient way to keep the coop clean. Does it really work? If so, how deep do I make the litter in the coop so I just scoop off the top layer and chuck it on the floor of the run? Also, when they were babies I read it was really bad if the poop got mouldy. Is that still really bad now, or not so much of an issue?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Yes, chickens do need some kind of nest box. Laying on the dirty floor is a bad habit that results in poopy and/or broken eggs.

If you show us photos of your coop and tell us where, in general, you are located (climate matters), we can probably help you figure this out.

 

[DobieLover]

I have 4 chickens, all relatively large breeds, who are nearing the 20 week mark, so we are hopefully expecting some eggs soon! We made the mistake of buying quite a small coop. Due to the coop being so small, we don't want the girls to lay in there, on top of all their poop, but are stumped as to what to do. Is it essential to build an exterior nesting box, or should I just wait and see where they decide to lay, or let them lay in the coop?

On another note, I was thinking about trying out the deep littler method because I have read that that's a pretty efficient way to keep the coop clean. Does it really work? If so, how deep do I make the litter in the coop so I just scoop off the top layer and chuck it on the floor of the run? Also, when they were babies I read it was really bad if the poop got mouldy. Is that still really bad now, or not so much of an issue?

Thanks for all your help!

Pictures of your setup are needed.
It sounds like you need to start building something much larger.
Bump out nest boxes work well but are harder to keep the eggs from freezing in the winter. Where in general are you located?

DLM works best with direct ground contact as you need the moisture to keep the composting going. And DLM does not work well when the number of birds you have exceeds the recommended area you have for them to live it. The excess poop will just overload the system.

 

[queenie_29]

Thanks for all the responses, and for the help about DLM. Do you have any other suggestions as to how we could efficiently dispose of wood chips?

I have attached a couple of photos of the coop (it's a bit dirty and needs cleaning out today). As for the climate, it never gets below freezing in our area. we are coming to the end of winter and it has been around 10 degrees celcius in the morning, and near to 20 at midday - we are in NSW

Thanks for your help, we are new to chickens and definitely need to make some improvements to the coop!

 

[yakitori]

My chickens lay in nesting boxes in the run. In fact as they matured, they will hold it in until the have access to the run to lay, lol. The nests are just large planters

In winter when it snows, I give them access to under the porch instead of the run. While they like to hang out under the porch, they still run back to the run to lay their eggs, lol.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Is it essential to build an exterior nesting box, or should I just wait and see where they decide to lay, or let them lay in the coop?

If you don't mind potentially dirty eggs, or hidden eggs, yes you can let them decide where they want to lay. Assuming you actually want to eat them, it's better to avoid having to do an Easter egg hunt for breakfast.

You can put nests outside in their run or yard area, if you don't resolve the issue inside the coop (hint: your chickens are sleeping in the nests because the roosts are way too low) - main thing is to make sure they're protected from the climate and from predators. Chickens aren't picky as long as they feel the nest area is safe for use.

On another note, I was thinking about trying out the deep littler method because I have read that that's a pretty efficient way to keep the coop clean. Does it really work? If so, how deep do I make the litter in the coop so I just scoop off the top layer and chuck it on the floor of the run?

You do not have space or the kind of set up for deep litter in the coop. The amount of litter you'd need is greater than the volume of space inside the coop (because the floor space is so small, you'd need litter a couple feet deep).

Deep litter is generally better for runs than coops because as DobieLover mentioned, it works best with ground contact and moisture.

Thanks for all the responses, and for the help about DLM. Do you have any other suggestions as to how we could efficiently dispose of wood chips?

Chips or shavings? You have shavings in the coop right now, which could be composted, or bagged and tossed in the trash if you don't have more green options.

 

[Alaskan]

I would be tempted to build a bigger coop, and use that cute tiny coop for chicks, or for quarantine of new birds..

 

[queenie_29]

You can put nests outside in their run or yard area, if you don't resolve the issue inside the coop (hint: your chickens are sleeping in the nests because the roosts are way too low) - main thing is to make sure they're protected from the climate and from predators. Chickens aren't picky as long as they feel the nest area is safe for use.

Great, thanks for all your help! I am completely new to chickens, so in terms of the roost, would the girls be better off if I moved the roost up a little, but there isn't really much room for them to jump up if I do that...?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Great, thanks for all your help! I am completely new to chickens, so in terms of the roost, would the girls be better off if I moved the roost up a little, but there isn't really much room for them to jump up if I do that...?

Depending on how much space you have in there heightwise (they need at least 12" above their heads on top of the roost to stand up and to get up and down), you could try something like this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ng-in-nest-boxes.1134399/page-2#post-17749535

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh, I should've done this earlier, but since you noted that the coop is too small for the birds, to extend out the usability of it you could convert the entire coop/mini run into a larger coop.

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/