I have 3 permanent wood boxes for my layers, but think they are a bit small. There's just enough room underneath for a box or two and they seem to prefer the cardboard. roomier!
Starting to actually think about chicks and breeds and all that -- and realizing this is going to be SO hard to narrow it down. I figure I'll limit myself to six......just six birds, ACK! DS has to have at least one Buff Orp and I have to have at least one Speckled Sussex -- I definitely want at least one fun color layer (would love either CCL or saphire over EE, but will probably end up with EE given what's readily available around here). So there we are already half way "full" and there are still so many other breeds
Thinking a nice Australorp because I like their personality and they are great layers. Might go with at least one high production like a leghorn (climate out here is so much more mild than it was in IN -- our leghorns and my SS rooster each had a touch of frostbite the one year I had them in Indiana - even in the coop we had with great ventilation)....that would put me at 5.....
I figure I'll pick up at least one extra of each breed we settle on initially so that if we end up with any ooops boys I'm not completely out of luck on having the breeds I want - and even without any oops boys I can sell the "extra" pullets once they feather in and I decide which one(s) I want to keep.