Help with 4x4 coop layout

[dblankin]

Newbie here, I've got a 4x4 coop with a 10x4 run. The back wall opposite the run hinges open for access. How should my exit door, roost and egg box be arranged? I have 3, 1 week old Doms and I'm finishing their home this weekend.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

http://poultry.purinamills.com/stellent/groups/public/documents/web_content/ecmp2-0160674.pdf

Purina has a nice and simple layout. You can move the nesting box to side of coop for easier access and obviously 3 nests is overkill. For that size coop you only need 2 nests. One for them to lay in and another to give them the choice to which they will most likely ignore and all lay in the one.

Note the height of nests should be lower than roosts but a bit off the floor. Important so chickens don't sleep in the nests and poo it up resulting in dirty eggs. I think theirs is too high. But do note the venting system. Rather simple and very effective. Keeps drafts off chickens in winter but provides plenty of fresh air replenishment.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

In a coop like this you can easily keep 6 to 8 standard size chickens. I've a 4x4 that is shorter and keep that many chickens in it as they only use it to lay eggs and roost at night. This coop is taller and better laid out than the first one I built. Going to build one like this this summer only make it 8x4 with ability to close in half for spring breeding.

 

[Mountain Man 60]

I have a similar setup and placed the roosts across the back just inside the hinged door. I put two plastic tub next boxes with lids at each back corner of the coop with a poop shelf on top of them under the roost. The boxes have holes in them pointing to the center so I can open the door and gather the eggs. I also made the roof out of tin with a foot overhang and a plastic gutter with a hose filling a five gallon bucket with three water nipples. Feeders are 3 inch PVC tubes with Ys on the bottom that have caps on top, bottom and removable on the Y that are screwed to the front of the coop under the two food overhang.

 

[sunflour]

Newbie here, I've got a 4x4 coop with a 10x4 run. The back wall opposite the run hinges open for access. How should my exit door, roost and egg box be arranged? I have 3, 1 week old Doms and I'm finishing their home this weekend.

Place the chicken door where it offers a clean walk to the nests…my gals come in and walk straight to the nests when they are ready to lay.
If their favorite nest is occupied, they prance and mutter in front of the nest area.

Wish I had arranged roosts so poop would not accumulate in front of the nest boxes…or built the coop tall enough for poop boards. So they wouldn't step and transfer to nests.

Glad I followed advice to place roosts at least 18 inches or more from the walls - very little poop ends up on the door/walls.

 

[dblankin]

Thank you all so much for the input.

 

[dblankin]

Hi all,

Here is my coop in process. I'm thinking of a laying box mounted to the outside corner adjacent to the hinges with the entrance/exit on the far wall, right hand side. This makes my nesting box and entrance basically on the right hand half of the coop. Next I was thinking about a ladder roost that has its highest point at the door opening the angling down and away. I could put a catch board under it making cleaning easier. What do you think?

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[missmel]

My nesting boxes are about 15 inches off the ground, directly across from their roost which is about 6 inches off the ground. They arent laying yet, theyre not even 4 months old yet but im wondering if they will get up in the boxes? I dont think theyve touched them as of yet.

 

[jetdog]

Make your boxes around floor level and your roost as high as possible, with only 3 hens a 2x4 laying flat spanning the entire width of the coop should be more than enough, while your in the construction process it would be easier to install a poop board now rather than later, it will keep the floor alot cleaner.