Nest boxes under poop shelf?

[thecatumbrella]

We're intending to move on from our Omlet Cube and build a coop next spring. I have an idea in mind that I haven't really seen it executed. Poop shelf is a must, but is there any reason the nest boxes shouldn't be under that shelf? I suppose a chicken could perch on the edge of the poop shelf and aim over the side, leaving deposits in front of the nest box for others to track in. Otherwise, it seems an efficient design. The nest box itself will be a rollaway style at 24" deep, which aligns with the depth of my poop shelf. Illustration attached. Sorry it's an assault on the eyes; I needed to up the contrast to make it legible.

 

[Sally PB]

I think it looks like it would work.

I have a poop tray with a roost 8ish inches above it. The tray does an excellent job of catching the poop.

Illustration attached. Sorry it's an assault on the eyes; I needed to up the contrast to make it legible.

It's nice and legible!

 

[thecatumbrella]

I have a poop tray with a roost 8ish inches above it.

That's the height I keep seeing, so that's what I'm going to use!

 

[SueT]

I’ve got a nest box under a poop board. The nest box is more recessed, by about 2”.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I’ve got a nest box under a poop board. The nest box is more recessed, by about 2”.

Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. Prevents anyone from getting a nasty surprise from above if they poke their head out while nesting. And it would leave some room to mount a curtain.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I've been considering a similar setup for the coop we'll be building this spring so I'm interested to see others' experiences

 

[LunaBlue]

I have poop trays on top of my nest boxes like that. The hens poop on the tray if they choose to roost on the edge of it. They also have a roost bar above the poop trays. I bought some dog crate plastic trays to use there and it really makes cleanup easy.

The design would really work great if the youngsters would just stop sleeping in the nest boxes

 

[wrathsfarm]

I've just recently expanded my coop to add another 1-2 roosts/poop boards and getting ready to build new nest boxes and thinking this also. The 3 I have now are taking up too much room, they are a mish/mash quickly thrown together so streamlining is in order. Following along for insight.

 

[mossyoakpro]

I have my boxes under my poop boards....I used milk crates up on blocks. I have 3 under there but they only use the one that is in the darkest corner which makes sense.
Occasionally some of them just have to "go" so they use the other ones but not very often.

 

[CaptainCat]

We're intending to move on from our Omlet Cube and build a coop next spring. I have an idea in mind that I haven't really seen it executed. Poop shelf is a must, but is there any reason the nest boxes shouldn't be under that shelf? I suppose a chicken could perch on the edge of the poop shelf and aim over the side, leaving deposits in front of the nest box for others to track in. Otherwise, it seems an efficient design. The nest box itself will be a rollaway style at 24" deep, which aligns with the depth of my poop shelf. Illustration attached. Sorry it's an assault on the eyes; I needed to up the contrast to make it legible.

View attachment 3705986

Is this what you ended up going with for design? I’d love to see pictures of the finished product, if you’ve gotten that far I’m thinking of building something similar!