Chicken ark- the girls keep roosting in the side nest boxes!

[patman75]

Here is what I did to elevate the roost, these pictures are from before I cleaned the coop and it rained, so it is a little messy.

I added a 2X2 on the bottom and a 2X4 on top . the girls seem to like it and have no problem walking on the 2X4 and they dont poop on it at all. they dont seem to poop on the ramp either.

Another on of my girls started laying eggs,

I think it is the SLW. I just need that slacking BO to start laying.

 

[chick4chix]

Thanks for the photo- it helps. The only difference on my ark and yours is we have a partition between the nests with a circular hole cut in it- and the roost- so they actually have to "squeeze in there to get in the nest one at a time. I'll take a photo tomorrow when I have the side off. to clean it out.
Thanks again-

 

[chick4chix]

Here are two photos- I took just now as I was going out to block them out for the night. The egg is not real- they havent' started laying yet.

This one is looking into the nest box with the end off- you can see the partiction that is made with a cut out in it- to give them more of a "tucked in" feeling.



This one is looking past the nest box into the roost area- you can see the other nest down at the other end and the ladder down towards the right. The roost is currently a slightly rounded 2x2- which will be changed to a 2x4 soon.

 

[chick4chix]

oops- how do you delete an accidental post?

 

[chick4chix]

Quote:
Speaking of rain... all you other ark owners- what do you do in the rain? Do you put a tarp over it- put it under cover? I can't imagine trying to change the feeders- clean it out etc in a torrential downpour- besides the shape of it makes for very wet litter on the bottom.

 

[GwenDellAnno]

Hey Pat, thanks! It worked. Last two nights all nine chickens were on the roost. I redid it.. here are pics.

The barnevelders at one end....

and the Easter Eggers at the other.....

(for some reason Vesper ~ EE ~ decided to hang with the barnevelders instead of her fellow EE's)

Yesterday I fixed up two of the nest boxes. I opened one this morning (and will close it up again before they go in to roost). I will do this for a few days until I'm confident they're using the roost. I think for now I'll only open up two or three nest boxes. The others I have taken out the dividers and am using for storage, etc. And they give me access to the far end of the coop if I need it!!

Chick4chix, how is your new arrangement working? Any luck yet getting them out of the nest boxes and onto the roost?

 

[chick4chix]

Hi Gwen- I am still having to block off the nest boxes at night- I accidentally left one open last night and yep- they spent the night in there:-(
I have not put in the 2x4 yet either- I was going to do that this past weekend but I had something else come up so hopefully I will get to it this week. Are you using a 2x4? It looks like a 2" treebranch in the photos?

 

[GwenDellAnno]

Actually it is a tree branch..... just because I didn't have a 2x4 that was long enough. I'll see closer to winter I may just replace it with a 2x4? Also, today I removed the lower roost.... it was just a "training" roost anyways... and I don't figure they need it anymore! (I just closed up the nest box for the night about an hour ago.....)

Let me know how you make out with yours.

 

[patman75]

It looks like my changes worked. I have left the nest boxes unblocked and I check one night and no hens in the nest box and this morning there was no poop.

hopefully it stay that way, it took a little over 2 weeks.

 

[chick4chix]

congratulations on that! I left one of the nests accidentally open last night (thought I had it blocked) and this morning-you guessed it - poop. Still no eggs:-(