davealden43
In the Brooder
- Sep 3, 2019
- 6
- 2
- 14
Hello All,
New to chickens, getting four from a friend *soon* (when I finish my coop/run). I started working on my project in the fall and everything got put on hold, but I want to get this finished relatively soon now. Anyway, I was originally given a small coop which I decided was too small so I recycled some pallets and some other supplies I had and have built a chicken palace (sort of). The pics show where I'm at today, and I've got "plans" for the rest (obviously inner walls, etc) but I'm looking for some guidance on two specific parts.
First, the floor will be covered in linoleum and then covered with straw or whatever (TBD)... the nesting boxes will be built off the back and will have a hatch to access and will be removable for interior coop cleaning. I guess for 4 chicks I should have two boxes each about 1ft x 1ft x 1ft (correct me if that's wrong). Should the nesting boxes be at the same level as the floor? Up a couple of inches or more? Down a couple of inches? Does it matter? (the coop overall will be raised about 1ft off the ground)
Next, the roost bar... should I use a tree branch (roughly 3in diameter) or 2x4 (which side up), and how high should it be off of the floor? Will one bar be good for 4 chickens?
Thanks in advance!
New to chickens, getting four from a friend *soon* (when I finish my coop/run). I started working on my project in the fall and everything got put on hold, but I want to get this finished relatively soon now. Anyway, I was originally given a small coop which I decided was too small so I recycled some pallets and some other supplies I had and have built a chicken palace (sort of). The pics show where I'm at today, and I've got "plans" for the rest (obviously inner walls, etc) but I'm looking for some guidance on two specific parts.
First, the floor will be covered in linoleum and then covered with straw or whatever (TBD)... the nesting boxes will be built off the back and will have a hatch to access and will be removable for interior coop cleaning. I guess for 4 chicks I should have two boxes each about 1ft x 1ft x 1ft (correct me if that's wrong). Should the nesting boxes be at the same level as the floor? Up a couple of inches or more? Down a couple of inches? Does it matter? (the coop overall will be raised about 1ft off the ground)
Next, the roost bar... should I use a tree branch (roughly 3in diameter) or 2x4 (which side up), and how high should it be off of the floor? Will one bar be good for 4 chickens?
Thanks in advance!