Nest Box Question and Roost -- a little urgent

[Chicken Little-er]

Hi Everyone,

I need to have the plan for our nest boxes by Monday first thing so that the interior of the coop can be built. I've been sitting in the framed coop for the last couple hours w/ a measure tape and my chicken books - but can't seem to find the details I'm looking for and just keep going around in circles. Would greatly appreciate some practical advice from you all!

How high off the floor should the boxes be?

How high off the floor can they be -- if I stack a set of boxes on top of each other - what's too high?

Is there any reason they should not be under a window?

I've read various dimensions recommended for the boxes -- I have mostly heavy birds - Barred Rocks, Light Brahma, Buff Orps and then 2 araucanas. Is 14 x 14 sufficient, or should I up it to 16 x 16. 14 x 14 would work much better.

I'm planning to have entry roosts attached in front of the nest boxes and a slanted board on top to prevent roosting there.

I have 7 chicks, but the flock will likely expand to 12 or 15 next year. I'd like to do all the boxes now -- was thinking 6 -- is that too many / about right?

Re roosts -- I'd like to do two long roosts laddered -- at what height should the first roost start?

Can a roost be by a window?

The coop building is 6 x 10, with the first 3 feet as an entry area for supplies, etc. - so the chickens have approx 6 x 7 of coop space.

Thank you all so much! Laurie

 

[rancher hicks]

I would check out as many pics of nest boxes and roosts as you can on this forum. I've changed mine twice and intend to change it again this year to include a "drop board".

 

[teach1rusl]

Keep in mind that the nest boxes don't even have to go in until the birds are around 16 or 17 weeks, so there's no rush on those. 14x 14 should be fine. Many do 12x12, but that seems cramped to me. I think mine are 16 x 16 and there is room to spare, so your 14" ones sound ideal. Most folks use one nest box for every 3-4 birds. Personally, I'd rather have one too many than one too few. Unless your area has a year round mild climate, I'd not plan on keeping more than 10 birds or so in a 42 sq. ft. housing, JMO.

Nest boxes can sit on the ground or be elevated. But keep in mind that nest boxes on the ground take away from useable floor space. I like to elevate them at least 18 inches so that my floor space is open. If you're stacking, you can always use chicken ladders for the higher boxes. Most say nest boxes should be in the dimmest area of the coop. However, mine sit directly opposite a window, and my girls have never had issues using them.

As was mentioned already, you might want to do a dropping board under your roosts...saves on bedding and makes clean up much easier. Although mine aren't long, I've done my roosts similarly to what you're describing (if I'm reading it correctly). My first roost is set about 30 inches, and the other is a foot higher, set back about 10 inches (although 12 inches is recommended). Your roosts can be any height you want them, although ideally they will be higher than your nest box perches, as chickens tend to want to roost at the highest poing (you'll find your more dominant birds will claim the top roost). With orps and brahmas, you'll want a chicken ladder to help them get up/down, especially since your coop is a bit narrow for the height that you'll most likely place your roosts. Here's how I did my roosts/dropping board/chicken ladder to give you an idea...

 

[ralleia]

Quote:
I have two rows of nest boxes--the perches for the bottom row start at a little over 2' high, and the perches for the second row are a little over 3' high. The chicken roosts run lateral to the nest boxes, and usually the hens climb onto the roost and then leap to the nest box perch in order to get on. It's about a 2' leap, and they manage it comfortably.

Is there any reason they should not be under a window?

The hens seem to like dark and draft-free for the laying of eggs. My nestboxes are a six-plex (3-across, 2-down) and the hens generally avoid the upper-left box, which is in front of a west-facing window. I tried boarding that up with corrogated cardboard, but still they mostly avoid that box.

I've read various dimensions recommended for the boxes -- I have mostly heavy birds - Barred Rocks, Light Brahma, Buff Orps and then 2 araucanas. Is 14 x 14 sufficient, or should I up it to 16 x 16. 14 x 14 would work much better.

Mine are 12x12 and 14" tall and they work just fine. Your 14x14 idea will be perfect.

I have 7 chicks, but the flock will likely expand to 12 or 15 next year. I'd like to do all the boxes now -- was thinking 6 -- is that too many / about right?

Six is just fine, and as long as you have the space and materials for it, there's no such thing as too many nest boxes. I accidentally ended up with 40 hens, and they use six nest boxes (often double-occupancy), and I still get all my eggs.

Re roosts -- I'd like to do two long roosts laddered -- at what height should the first roost start?

Can a roost be by a window?

Our first rung of the laddered roost is about 8" off the floor. The adult birds don't like to roost there, but if you end up having chicks reared by momma in the coop, then there's nothing wrong with having a baby step there for them!

My laddered roost leans against the north wall, which has two windows in it. I don't think there's really any issue with windows near the roost, unless you have a terrible draft going on. A draft would likely cause other issue beyond the roost though!​

 

[Chicken Little-er]

Thank you everyone for such helpful replies -- it's helped me figure out the placement. Thanks especially for the dimensions off the floor - I was flummoxed.

 

[happymom99]

Quote:
Thank you so much for including that picture of the dropping board and roosts. How far from the wall is the roost that is closest to the wall?

CJ