Building Nesting boxes to side of coop? and to much poop!

[Brettspaid]

I am going to build on the side of my coop nesting boxes...sizes? I have 8' across to use. Plus, what to I put under where my chickens roost for easier clean up? I have a cement floor..best to put down?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Many folks use poop boards under the roost. It's an easily scraped clean removable shelf; as basic as a 1x12 board with contact paper over it to scrap clean every few days with an old taping knife or plastic smoothy.

I just use 3-4 inches of pine chips on the floor and do a partial clean of coop by shoveling out what is directly under roosts as it builds up then rake in more pine chips. The chips and poop all go into the compost pile for the garden. Pine chips in the bulk 3 cubic feet bags are inexpensive, $6/bag that is a compressed 3 cubic ft so really double that size. Smells nice, keeps floor dry and composts well.

 

[kreagerm]

Here is what I did, working with the same measurement as you. My roosting board (2"x3") spans the entire 8' under that I have a poop board. under the poop board I have my nest boxes. I only have 4 nest boxes because I only have 14 hens, and that is plenty. They are 14" x 14". On the floor I use straw but wood shavings are great as well. My poop board is covered in laminet so it's water/waste proof.

 

[Jakoda]

my set up (new on) is going to be exactly like kreagram's above. (rebuilding my barn/chicken coop area, damaged during storm sandy).

My plan is to do exactly as they did, 8ft roost, poop board underneath it, with nesting boxes underneath that.

I "have" 12 x 12 nesting boxes right now, but I'm finding they are a tad small for my standard sized chickens..so will put 6 / 14 x 14 nesting boxes under the poop board..I have 9 chickens..
Diane

 

[williamson218]

Hey the pop boards are to much hassle just do inch of sand with 3 inches of pine chips as for the nest boxes i built mine on the outside

 

[citychickx6]

I have the poop boards under mine. I covered them in linoleum. It takes me about 5 minutes to scrape every inch of them off. I use pine chips on top of the linoleum to help absorb the moisture.
Super easy and keeps them from mixing the poo in with the rest of the pine shavings for the most part.
I was going through 2 bags of pine a week and now I go through one bag in 3 weeks. HUGE savings.

 

[CESpeed]

I'm going to have Australorps which are pretty big birds. Based on what I've read here, y'all would recommend an 8ft high roost and 4-6 14x 14 nesting boxes. How high would you have the nesting boxes and would I be correct in assuming those are for hatching / brooding purposes only and not for egg laying? What would you recommend for straight egg laying?

 

[citychickx6]

I do not think an 8 foot high roost is a good idea. I would only put it about 3 foot high.
They are a larger bird and could injure themselves getting down.
Aussies are a very pretty bird and will lay nice large eggs.
I have nest boxes both inside and mounted to the outside of the coops I have. I prefer the outside boxes and they seem to as well. I would mount them fairly low say less than a foot off the floor.

 

[Brettspaid]

Man,,,This website rules...I am a newbee chicken guy,,,and all your comments helped greatly! thx so much fellow chicken peeps!

 

[gryeyes]

The nest boxes ARE for laying eggs, actually. Until this or that hen goes broody in one....

I wouldn't have roost bars higher than four or five feet, for the exact reason citychix mentions. I happen to have an old 3-walled carport/garage building transmorgrified into a large coop with four walls (17 X 20 feet); the flock has two ladder-type roosts with four roost bars apiece, each about 18 inches higher and slightly back.... Think a really, really wide ladder leaned at a low angle against the walls. My Orpington ladies will roost on the highest bar, but hop down to each lower bar until they are only about a foot off the ground.

The old garage has rafters, and several of my less "fluffy" ladies fly up there to roost at night. Not many of the heavier breeds of chicken will fly at all (that is, higher than a foot or further than four feet) so they hop up the ladder roost rungs to get to the highest rung. My Orp hens have a lot of status in the flock, so the top rungs belong to them and my dominant rooster.

Hope this helps!