Can an old coop become a nest box?

[kensey]

I adopted two buff orpington chicks from someone who was about to get rid of them, and couldn't bear that thought, but had (and have) no idea how to raise them. They were probably about three or four weeks old at the time. I would guess they are about 24 weeks old now.

Anyway, when I first got them, they were small obviously and I had no idea how big they would get. I got one of the those tiny pre-fab "coops" from Amazon, which was a horrible mistake as it now barely fits them both, even without food and water and roost and all that, and they have started to lay just anywhere in the run. They do sleep in it currently and the usable area inside is about the size of a large nesting box.

I am currently building a proper coop for them and was wondering if i could save that old "coop" and use it as a nest box inside the new bigger coop, or would they continue to sleep in there out of habit The reason I would want to keep it is that it would easier, but obviously if it won't work, I can re-work the new coop design to incorporate nesting areas.

I appreciate any thoughts and it'll help inform my next building steps!

 

[Ridgerunner]

What size is it and what does it look like? Does it have separate nesting boxes? Do you plan on getting more chickens? What size coop are you building and what will it look like? Just trying to get some idea of what you are and will be working with in the future. A photo might help.

It's not unusual for a pullet to just drop an egg wherever she happens to be when they first start laying. The egg-laying process is kind of complicated and it's not unusual for her to have to work out bugs either in the hardware or software parts. The hardware part might be the size of the egg or how thick the shell is. The software part might be when or where to lay them. It usually doesn't take them long to get it straight. To me the surprising part is how many get it right from the start. So be patient.

You might be able to use that for a nest only. It may be more valuable in the future to help integrate new chicks or to isolate an injured chicken.

They will probably continue to sleep in it unless you break them of that habit. Depending on what your facilities look like there can be different ways of breaking that habit. The primary thing when planning is that the roosts need to be higher than the nests. That makes the whole process much easier.

 

[kensey]

What size is it and what does it look like? Does it have separate nesting boxes? Do you plan on getting more chickens? What size coop are you building and what will it look like? Just trying to get some idea of what you are and will be working with in the future. A photo might help.

Thank you for your thoughts! This is the current living situation, and the entire thing is situated inside of a six foot by eight foot run:

I would detach the smaller run here and use the house-looking part as a nest box if I went forward with this plan, so the nest box would be 14 inches tall inside and 30 inches wide, no separation inside.

The coop I'm currently building is more or less a rectangle with a sloping roof with the following dimensions: six feet side, 2.5 feet deep, and six feet across, four feet tall. I wasn't planning on getting more chickens, but I could take another one, maybe two, in if I come across another chicken that needs a home.

Based on what you're saying, I think I'll plan to keep this inside as a nest box (unless anyone see issues based on new info), and make a roost in coop that higher than it. I think I'll also block the entrance to the old coop for few days to break them of the habit and hope they use the new higher roost?

 

[NatJ]

I'm sure you can use the old coop inside the new one.
If the chickens choose to sleep in the old coop, even when they've got access to a new one, that will not hurt them. (There's a big difference between being locked into a small space, vs. choosing to sleep in it anyway.)

If they do choose to sleep and lay eggs in the same place, the worst that will happen is dirty and/or broken eggs--not pleasant, but not the end of the world either.

My guess is that, if you give them a choice, they'll probably sleep in the old coop for a bit because it's familiar, but then they'll switch to sleeping on the new, higher roost. That will leave the old coop free to be a spacious nestbox, which is a good idea (easier than building a new one!)

 

[Ridgerunner]

14" x 30". Sort of a cross between a "normal" nest and a "community" nest. That could probably handle 7 or 8 hens. Just put nesting material and a couple of fake eggs in it. I use golf balls but other things work.

I think I'll also block the entrance to the old coop for few days to break them of the habit and hope they use the new higher roost?

Different ways to do this. If they are laying in this you do not want to teach then to lay somewhere else. So you can block this off after they have laid for the day and open it back up after they are sleeping on the roosts at night. Or, you can move them from this after it is dark and set them on the roosts. Either way they should get the message fairly soon.

You need to be able to access all parts of your coop. You never know when you might need to retrieve an egg or injured chicken. Or just do maintenance or modifications. 6' x 6' is kind of inconvenient for that. I'd either want it tall enough I could stand up inside it or change it to a 4' wide coop.