Hi all, newbie needing tons of help!!!

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Scratch that, how big does a nesting box need to be? I finally made up my minds on breeds etc.

Im going to get one hen each of these breeds, Dominique, Orpington, Ameraucana, and brahma, and then one Brahma rooster to free range with them. I know those breeds range in size from 6lbs to 8+ lbs depending on the breed. So my next thing I need to know is how big the nesting box needs to be for those size chickens.
 
Quote: So in general a nesting box should be 1 foot square and be lower than the roosting bars also 1 box per 4 birds is the typical setup. Chickens are amazing and will fit into some weird places that you think would not work. For ours I found that they like to kick the shavings out of the nest so I added a board that runs about 3 inches up the opening to discourage losing shavings. Keeping it close to the nesting box will also help to avoid roosting on the bar and chicken doo getting on eggs.

Since you are getting a rooster realize that his job is two fold protect and breed. Usually you would want about 9 hens to one rooster though a few less will result in a little more ruffled and missing feathers. I'm not that familiar with Brahma Roosters so someone else can chime in, but usually if the rooster is bigger then the hen more damage can ensue to the hens. A quick look online says 8+ lbs for the rooster so your hens would need to be larger sized. Also if the hens are being, loved
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, a little to much by the rooster it can cause a drop in egg production. and them looking rather out of breath.
 
Lol all the breeds were pretty good size, but that was to discourage hawks. Mostly interested in the protect part, picked brahma rooster for the size and bc they are supposedly calm and gentle, bc last thing I want is a mean rooster.
 
It is recommended that a chicken should have another of it's kind. When building your coop, it is also recommended that you should have 4 sq. feet per hen in the coop and 10 sq. feet for the run. I have a rooster and I wished I never had one. he used to attack me until after the third time, I finally got him to stop. now he is friendly to me. but he sure likes wearing the feathers off my hens and they end up with scratches on their back. So I had to take his spurs off. but that doesn't stop him. So when he is gone, I won't have any more roosters. Of course, they are VERY protective of the hens. Which is a good thing. They will fight predators to the death if need be. Good luck to you.
 

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