help inside of coop

[todd walker]

My coop is 10'x13' and the boxes are 12''x12''x12'',and there are 60 total(coop was here when I bought the place)
As you can see in pic's boxes on left,on the right there are windows,my plan is just to put some roost on the left side,problem is everything I read says to put the roost above boxes I cant unless I make some new boxes,so should I be ok?ie, birds not sleeping in boxes making a mess.Also no big hurry birds are only 5-7 weeks old just trying to plan ahead.
Thanks

Ps,
Don't mind the mess the ducks are in there now.

 

[Manok-Tao]

Newbie here...but from what I've learned
I'd block off the entire bottom row of boxes to keep litter etc out. The second row looks to be prime height. Depending on amount of hens you'll have there are way too many boxes. maybe keep half of the 2nd row and a few of the 3rd row. The upper rows should be blocked off. I believe the thought of keeping the nest boxes below the roost is so they will be under a poop board and sheltered from getting messy, your set up already eliminates that..
Pretty cool coop to have already there..looks like it's got alot of potential

 

[PunkinPeep]

i agree with blocking off the upper most nest boxes. the reason it is recommended to put the roosts higher than the nest boxes is because chickens instinctively want to roost in high places. if the nest boxes are at the same or comparable height, the chickens may want to sleep in the nest boxes instead of on the roosts.

also keep in mind, you don't really need as many nest boxes as you have chickens, since they tend to share the same favorite boxes.

 

[todd walker]

Yes got lucky concrete floor and power,problem is power came from house,so need to run a new trench from shop to have power there again,should have done it when I used the trencher to run the water,just not thinking ahead.

 

[Manok-Tao]

I stand corrected on the nest box height...Thanks for helping me too

 

[teach1rusl]

Gotta agree with the first post. Depending on how many chickens you're going to have, I'd either remove (depending on how much work involved), put paneling over to block off, or maybe even put a long hinged "door" over most of the nest levels (use to store "stuff" maybe?). Even w/25-30 chickens, you would only need maybe 10 nest boxes max, and could get by 6-8. I agree that the 2nd row would be a good height, or the 3rd row. That way it'll be simple to keep the roosts above nest box level... Good luck!

 

[Manok-Tao]

Extension cords make great short term fixes...
Actually the coop I'm building will be wired for lights etc but not hard wired to my shop.
I'll have an external pig tail that a ext cord will plug into, thinking I'll only use the power in winter

 

[Renron]

Glad to hear you won't install a permanent power line to the coop in the same ditch as the water line. Code violations galore unless you know what you are doing. Water and electricity are poor coopmates.

I am a chicken noob, but I'm an experienced builder.
Good info on the height of the nesting boxes and # of hens sharing a box.
Ron

 

[todd walker]

I always thought you could use the same trench as long as water went in first then elec had to be in pipe and the underground(gray)wire,and be 16'' appart?
Brother has a trencher so for me becuse I'm redoing my hole house just ran extra trenches,will look better if I decide to sell the place.
thanks

 

[Mrs. K]

Just to propose a different idea, I too would block off most of those boxes. For one thing if you have to look in all of those it will take you forever. And they would make perfect little storage places for the dustpan, or oyster shell.

I have 8 girls and 8 boxes, but they only use 3 boxes to lay in.

If I am seeing correctly, I think I see exposed two by fours, along the back wall. I think I would build my roost there, and anchor them to the two by fours. It would come in front of some of those boxes, but so what. It would be easy.

also, I have found that if there is no nesting material in the box, and there is nesting material in another box, the one with is where they will lay. An empty milk jug also works well to plug up a box that you don't want them to lay in. Mrs.K