Help with Rhode Island Reds in SC

[Pine Roost]

Hello. I am just getting started with my backyard chickens and have 6 Rhode Island Red hens. I am already very excited about it all and have almost finished building my coop. Right now they are in a 6x6 dog box and are doing just fine! I have a few questions that I would like to ask those that are more experienced than myself.

#1. Is it necessary for the nesting box and the perch to be completely inclosed? Right now they are both covered by a tin roof, but all of the designs I see have them in an enclosed house. The nest box is 4' wide 15" tall and 12" deep with four 12" sections.

#2. I have read that if the perch is lower than the nest box, the chickens will sleep and poo in the nest box. How about if the perch is even with the nest box? I really do not have room in the coop to make it any higher, so I am hoping that them being even will do the trick....???

#3. The coop is 4x8x4....would yall recommend covering the entire coop with a tin roof or would leave a 2' section +/- open to the sunlight but covered with chicken wire?

Thanks in advance for all of the help and advice!!

 

[HEChicken]

and congrats on your chicks.

Living in SC, it probably is not necessary to fully enclose the coop. Many people favor a 3-sided or open air coop and if your climate permits it, it is a valid way to go, and may be appreciated by them on hot days in the summer. Your main consideration is to make it predator proof, and also to orient it in such a way to avoid them being blasted by wind/drafts while sitting on the roost.

If your nest boxes and roost are level with one another, you might need to train them to use the roost. When I first moved my birds into my current coop, I had a group of youngsters who were intimidated by the older girls, so even though the roost is higher, they preferred to sleep in a nest box. I tacked some feed bags to the top of the nest boxes, so they could be rolled down at night, blocking off access at night, but rolled up during the day to allow the layers access. It only took 2-3 nights before the youngsters started voluntarily using the roost at night.

I would roof the whole coop versus leaving a section open, assuming they will also have a run where they can get the sunlight. When it rains, you will want to have a place that is dry for the feeder, and additionally, when bedding gets wet, it gets stinky. You may get some rain blowing in anyway if it is a 3-sided coop, but having it come in from the top as well will make it that much more challenging to keep feed/bedding dry.

 

[chfite]

I would recommend roofing the entire coop so that they can be dry while inside. Although my chickens don't always go inside during the rain, they do seem to appreciate having a place to be dry. My coop sits off the ground inside the run, so they can just go under the coop to escape the rain or sun.

Chris