Coop Advice

[MtHelixHens]

Could someone please give me some advice. I am brand new to chickens. I live in So Calif, so it doesnt get very cold. Here are some pics of my coop. The ground floor has wire underneath and pine and straw. The floor of the raised section is wire with straw. The pic that shows the shelves - the coop has the shelves on both sides. I have 2 nesting boxes plus a light blue box that has slats on the bottom that is also filled with straw and pine shavings. I am trying to figure a place that would be the best for a roost. Should I tuck the nesting boxes over to the right? and then put the roost between the top shelf or the middle? Is the nesting box ok where it is? This pic was taken looking straight in the opening. Should the roost go closer to the back wall or up closer to the opening. The opening doesnt have a door or anything. Any feedback on design would be great. My barred rock just layed her first egg this morning.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
From what I'm looking at I think you have roughly a 4'x2' coop?

What I would probably do is to move the nest boxes over to one side under one of the shelves. This will move the nest boxes away from the most illuminated area of your coop (chickens like to lay in dim/dark/hidden areas). Maybe tack short, split curtains over the front of the nest boxes (maybe hanging from the shelf) to give them a little more seclusion. Moving the nest boxes would also open up more area in the main area of the coop.

On the other side of the coop I would take out the lower shelf and replace it with a piece of 2"x4" board for a roosting board placed about 12 inches from the sidewall.

The round holes in the sides....ventilation? You might want to get some dark screen material to put over them to help shed rain and again darken things down a bit in the coop.

Lastly, I would probably hang some type of lightweight short curtain from the top of the main opening to help shade the interior some more. Maybe even put the curtain on a makeshift rod so you can slide it out of your way when you need to work in the coop.

Anyhow, these are some thoughts...hope they help.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[Intheswamp]

Thinking about it you might be better off putting the 2"x4" roosting board above the shelf that the nestboxes are underneath. Mount the roosting board about 4 inches above the shelf and have a small "dropping board" laying on the shelf to catch the poop. This would open up more of the coop's floor for the chickens and not use any floorspace for a droppings area.

Still lose the shelf on the opposite side of the coop to make it more open for the chickens. Maybe you could use that piece of board for the droppings board.

Ed