do i need to divide my coop into light and dark sections?

[ericz]

howdy all,

here's what i am almost finished with:

the right-end will be where i cut the door opening and it will lead out to an enclosure. i was going to put the roosts in the right section and then put a divider between the right and the left halves so the left side will be darker, and this is where the nest boxes will go. here's a pictiure of the divider before i took it out to do some more work on the coop:

but now i'm having second thoughts about the divider because i would really like to have one long roost traversing the coop from left to right, 12" away from the front wall and 15" off the floor.

so my question is: would it be better to put the divider in so the nesting area will be a bit darker and more secluded, but this at the expense of a longer roost?

or would it be needless to have the divider, and better to have the long roost?

i only have two hens now, but next spring will have six.

thanks in advance,

-eric

 

[NottinghamChicks]

I would do away with the divider so you can put the roost across the entire back, add exterior nest boxes for easy collection, and for a cleaner coop I also suggest poop boards to collect the mess. Just scrape or wash off as you see fit. I actually have a skylight in one of my coops right above the interior nest box. The other coop has nest boxes in an open area underneath the poop boards. I will switch over to exterior nest boxes as soon as time allows as they are easier to collect eggs and probably make the hen feel cozy while laying. My hens have never minded where their boxes are so probably just go with logistics and ease of use.