Moving pullets to coop

[Oldcatawbablacksmith]

I will be moving our pullets to the coop soon and wanted some advice on doing so. I plan to keep them in the coop for a few days then introducing them to the run after that. Once I can be sure they know where home is and they roost I will open the door in the morning and close at night. That said someone mentioned that I should not allow access to the nesting box area of the coop until they are ready to lay... anyone have that or another recommendation? Also my coop is 4’x6’ with two perches spaces apart. Should I add a wall on the end the nesting boxes are attached to to add some “privacy”? The nesting boxes are covers and connected to the coop so they are somewhat private but open on the front to the rest of the coop. In the pictures I haven’t yet put the hinged lid on the nesting boxes or the bottom in the perch tray. Thanks in advanced for any assistance as I am new to chickens at this point I may have should just stuck with cattle, goats, and horses...

 

[rosemarythyme]

As far as covering nest boxes when you first put them in... sometimes it's helpful, other times not necessary. If the chickens roost without issue no real reason to cover them up, but if some of them are sleeping in nests, something like a sheet of cardboard is good enough to do the trick. I've never had an issue with young birds sleeping in the nest boxes so I don't cover them (caveat: currently covering them as I'm trying to retrain a special needs bird to roost).

Since I'm not sure... is that last photo of the roost bars? If so, they're likely too close together (you want at least 12" in between, 14"+ is better) and too low, you want them higher than nests to encourage chickens to use them.

How many birds do you have? That will dictate how much roost space you need.

 

[Oldcatawbablacksmith]

That was the bars and they have 10” currently I will space that further thank you. I have 8 birds right now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That said someone mentioned that I should not allow access to the nesting box area of the coop until they are ready to lay

I do not agree for different reasons. It is often really hard to know when they are about to lay. Some may give you signs but a lot do not. Many pullets start to look for a safe place to lay about a week before they start. By not having the nests open you may be training them to lay somewhere else.

Part of that looking involves scratching in the potential nests. If you find your bedding or fake eggs on the coop floor that tells you that you have a problem with your nests. Your lip is probably not high enough so you need to fix that before they start scratching out real eggs. Looks like you might have that problem.

Did they give you a reason for that recommendation? The "reason" I see most often is that they may sleep in your nests if you open them. If they are going to sleep in the nests I want to know before I start to get poopy eggs so I can fix it. If they are going to sleep in the nests they'll do that after you open them.

There are different reasons they might sleep in the nests. Typically if the roosts are noticeably higher than the nests and you have enough roosts they can get to for the number of chickens you have they sleep on the roosts. But if you have a bully on the roosts the ones being bullied might look for a safer place to sleep. That might be your nests.

The earliest I've had pullets start to lay is 16 weeks. That's fairly rare but has happened more than once. Keeping the nests closed to try to train them to use the roosts might be beneficial as long as the nests are opened before they start looking fir a safe place to lay. To me that would be logical. But to keep the nests closed until they start. well I don't see any benefit to that.

Should I add a wall on the end the nesting boxes are attached to to add some “privacy”?

I'd add a lip at the bottom maybe 4" tall to keep eggs and bedding in. If that lip is higher than the roosts they may try sleeping on that.

 

[Deb ekholm]

That said someone mentioned that I should not allow access to the nesting box area of the coop until they are ready to lay

I do not agree for different reasons. It is often really hard to know when they are about to lay. Some may give you signs but a lot do not. Many pullets start to look for a safe place to lay about a week before they start. By not having the nests open you may be training them to lay somewhere else.

Part of that looking involves scratching in the potential nests. If you find your bedding or fake eggs on the coop floor that tells you that you have a problem with your nests. Your lip is probably not high enough so you need to fix that before they start scratching out real eggs. Looks like you might have that problem.

Did they give you a reason for that recommendation? The "reason" I see most often is that they may sleep in your nests if you open them. If they are going to sleep in the nests I want to know before I start to get poopy eggs so I can fix it. If they are going to sleep in the nests they'll do that after you open them.

There are different reasons they might sleep in the nests. Typically if the roosts are noticeably higher than the nests and you have enough roosts they can get to for the number of chickens you have they sleep on the roosts. But if you have a bully on the roosts the ones being bullied might look for a safer place to sleep. That might be your nests.

The earliest I've had pullets start to lay is 16 weeks. That's fairly rare but has happened more than once. Keeping the nests closed to try to train them to use the roosts might be beneficial as long as the nests are opened before they start looking fir a safe place to lay. To me that would be logical. But to keep the nests closed until they start. well I don't see any benefit to that.

Should I add a wall on the end the nesting boxes are attached to to add some “privacy”?

I'd add a lip at the bottom maybe 4" tall to keep eggs and bedding in. If that lip is higher than the roosts they may try sleeping on that.

I like them to have a little seperate area. Seem to get along betty

 

[Oldcatawbablacksmith]

Thank you all very much for the help on this! I will plan to get the roost up a little higher and add that lip. The reason was exactly that to prevent them from roosting in the nests.
I will also look at the feasibility of adding a little privacy somehow as well will they make their way through a small “doorway” between the roost and nesting boxes if I make a partition?

 

[50-45-1]

Is there any windows or light in that coop?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't find it necessary but some people hang a curtain. I don't see any windows or ventilation. How dark is it going to be in there?

Once you get them set up, on a day to day basis chickens are a lot easier than goats. Your biggest frustration right now is probably figuring out how to set them up.

 

[aart]

I will also look at the feasibility of adding a little privacy somehow as well will they make their way through a small “doorway” between the roost and nesting boxes if I make a partition?

They don't need 'privacy' they just need to feel 'safe'.
Coop is too small to add a partition.
Just add the lips and raise the roosts.
I'd block nests totally until they are roosting well and close to laying(~14 weeks)

 

[aart]

Is there any windows or light in that coop?

Was wondering the same......and year round ventilation.

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @Oldcatawbablacksmith
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