Inside Coop design.....what is best. NEED advice

[doIreallylikeeggsthismuch]

I am designing a 8x10 chicken coop. Shed style. We live in a very cold climate. I have 2 large windows on one side.
Question #1- Can I put the roosts in front of the windows?

Question #2- Can I put roosts over the hen boxes? Can hen boxes go underneath the windows?

Any good ideas?

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

you can put the roost over the hen boxes=Nesting boxes if you use a poop board and make it wider then the hen boxes as for the roost in front of the windows I belive it will work if the are fear enough away from the said window. I live in Texas and we don't have such harsh winters so maybe someone from a cold area will chime in for you.

 

[cow_girl]

Im wondering this as well... as I will have 3 different roost and one of them will be in front of a window... I live in mid western Ontario so our winters get pretty darn cold w/ the lake effect ....I'm hoping on the sunny winter days they will wanna sit in the window for warmth, and then use the other ones if it gets too cold... I also placed my large windows to the east and south walls so they will get the most sunlight through the winter..

 

[Turner]

Whatever your plan - chickens are creatures of habit and don't like change. Those guys will not sit up on the roost during the day because of the sun coming in the windows...they will be on the ground. I would put roosts where there is a solid wall behind them and a poop board under. I would put the roosts away from the nest boxes.

 

[CityChook]

Oh, I don't know. My hens must be goof-balls because they're up on the roost all the darn time. It runs right in front of the eastern window and they can watch the sun rise. My other window is on the south side and they can see out of it from the roost. Both are double hung, double pane, one large and one medium sized.

I think if you use good design, there's no reason you couldn't put the roosts over the nesting box. Make sure you make a nice, wide poop board and then the nest box can go under that. Chickens produce a lot of poo at night when they sleep, so the majority of the poo in the coop is directly under the roost.

It's also very very cold here, but I am sooooo glad to have the windows, especially in the winter when the girls spend 99% of their time indoors.

ETA: Chickens like it dark and private in their nestboxes, so if it's going to be under the window you might want to make sure it's enclosed. Personally, I'd rather have the nestbox under the window vs. opposite it where it would be constantly bright.

 

[teach1rusl]

Mine argue about who gets the roost spot closest to the window...lol. So I think a roost in front of the window sounds great. As others have said, if you do your roost over the nest boxes, make sure your nest boxes are covered, and just use that covering as a dropping board. Most likely you will need a chicken ladder to get up to the roosts, although I guess that depends on whether your nest boxes are elevated or not. So covered nest boxes under the windows actually will give your chickens nice, secluded nests

My girls don't seem to mind having bright nest boxes, but most recommend a darker area for them = exactly what you're suggesting.