I don't know how to title this but it has to do with roosting and nesting boxes.

[Pyxis]

Nice neat pen, is the outside cover like tarp or a canvas material?

Yep, I love it! It's a heavy duty tarp. The type of coop is called a hoop coop, and it's easily modified to make runs like this too. Much cheaper to make than a regular wooden coop also. If you click the little "My Coop" link under my avatar you can look at it through the whole build.

 

[JesNflock]

Well, they weren't very clear about what they were saying, that is the reason I am asking but they made it sound like the birds weren't allowed to roost any where near the nesting boxes.

Another poster to YouTube uses 18 gallon totes for nesting boxes and I really liked the way they looked but if I stack them two high I am afraid that they will poop on the top of the top tote but if I make the stack 3 high, I am afraid they couldn't fly up to the 3rd one. I really want to try the totes so maybe I'll just put them on the ground, not stack them. Sylvia

Hi Sylviaanne, my nest boxes are placed vertical, instead of horizontal, and my girls don't have any problem getting into any of them ( I have 5 total boxes) I do have rungs on the front for easier entrance for when they fly up they can grab on. There is a drop board to the right of the boxes that one of my girls uses to get to the top one (she had an injury and it's easier for her to use the board to get into her favorite box now)


from the inside..sorry can't see to the top. This was before we added the rungs. The boards in front have a lip to keep bedding from coming out


outside...you can get a pretty good idea of how it's set up (this pic was taken during construction of the coop. It looks so naked lol)


My broody hen picked the bottom box to sit on her clutch...I thought that worked out perfect

 

[JesNflock]

Nope they don't! They slide if they try and they don't feel stable and they don't like that so they just avoid it entirely. That's actually the floor after hauling the shavings out. Normally it looks like this:



But when it's coop cleaning day you can see the tarp floor.

Very nice coop!

 

[Pyxis]

Very nice coop!

Thank you!

 

[BriskRooster]

Yep, I love it! It's a heavy duty tarp. The type of coop is called a hoop coop, and it's easily modified to make runs like this too. Much cheaper to make than a regular wooden coop also. If you click the little "My Coop" link under my avatar you can look at it through the whole build.

looks good but don't you have fox problems?

 

[Sylviaanne]

Well, I wish I was handy enough to build one like Pyxis has cause it is something to love! I appreciate the tip that the roosts should be higher than the nesting boxes. I will do that when we get things set up. Right now I am waiting for my husband to put a door and chicken wire up in my shed to separate a storage area from the nesting boxes. I don't want to do it but I may have to clip some wings to keep them in the pen. Every once in a while I lose a chicken and the last one made me angry as it was an Americauna Rooster. He was very pretty. Sylvia

 

[Sylviaanne]

I went and read how you built your coop and I saw the post was in October. Has it snowed on your coop? If so, how well did it hold up? I'm from Tucson, Arizona but live in south western Missouri now. We moved here in 2002 and I have seen more snow here than in all my life out in Arizona. We haven't been actually snowed in but there are times we couldn't get out onto the freeway. I would just be afraid that the snow, which sometimes gets up to our knees, would crush your hoop coop. Thanks, Sylvia

 

[Pyxis]

looks good but don't you have fox problems?

Nope! Never lost a chicken to a fox, never seen a fox in my area, knock on wood. I have a big dog who discourages predators from setting up shop around here. Even if I did have a fox I'm pretty sure it couldn't get in. There is wire under the tarp so even if it chewed through the tarp it couldn't get through the wire.

I went and read how you built your coop and I saw the post was in October. Has it snowed on your coop? If so, how well did it hold up? I'm from Tucson, Arizona but live in south western Missouri now. We moved here in 2002 and I have seen more snow here than in all my life out in Arizona. We haven't been actually snowed in but there are times we couldn't get out onto the freeway. I would just be afraid that the snow, which sometimes gets up to our knees, would crush your hoop coop. Thanks, Sylvia

Yep! It snows a lot here. We had at least three feet on the ground and on the coop all winter. Coop didn't even sag

 

[BriskRooster]

Nope! Never lost a chicken to a fox, never seen a fox in my area, knock on wood. I have a big dog who discourages predators from setting up shop around here. Even if I did have a fox I'm pretty sure it couldn't get in. There is wire under the tarp so even if it chewed through the tarp it couldn't get through the wire.
Yep! It snows a lot here. We had at least three feet on the ground and on the coop all winter. Coop didn't even sag

good , we have a few foxes here, but our pen is quite secure never lot a chicken to a fox either... we are going to get rid of the fox... are you allowed to shoot them?

 

[Sylviaanne]

Nope! Never lost a chicken to a fox, never seen a fox in my area, knock on wood. I have a big dog who discourages predators from setting up shop around here. Even if I did have a fox I'm pretty sure it couldn't get in. There is wire under the tarp so even if it chewed through the tarp it couldn't get through the wire.
Yep! It snows a lot here. We had at least three feet on the ground and on the coop all winter. Coop didn't even sag

Wow, that's great. Next time we need to change where the chickens go or their coop, I hope I remember this post. Thanks, Sylvia