Nesting boxes and roosts

[Pstock44]

My 1st coop and my 2nd one almost done.

 

[Pstock44]

Almost done. A couple side panels, doors and bottom screen, then paint when we're drier and warm. The chickens will move in before paint, they need the room. (Roof was put on today.)

 

[Joe19]

I'm thinking I'll just enclose the bottom area under the roost where the hardware cloth is and relocate the nesting boxes down there and also raise the roosting perches up higher.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So are we saying that, as it is now, they probably would never lay in what's meant to be the nesting boxes now? What about enclosing the bottom area under the roost and putting boxes down there?

No, I am not saying they will not lay in those nests. Dad had nests that looked something like that though his sides and front were higher. They were open at the top. But he had a large walk-in coop and the nests were not close to the roosts.

I took your original question to be if the poop from the roosts is close to the nests will that cause the hens to not use those nests. I use the top of my nests as a droppings board. People are always posting on here that their chickens are sleeping and pooping in the nests and hens are laying in that. So poop near the nests will not stop them.

Then you said you are getting poop in the nests and posted some photos. You said it is possible they are scratching poop in the nests but you thought they were probably pooping directly in the nests. Without seeing it myself I think you are probably right, they are pooping directly in the nests. But in case they are scratching it in, a simple fix is to put a higher lip on those nests. I think that could beneficial in another way. That lip is not very high. When a hen prepares to lay an egg she often scratches to rearrange the bedding. With a lip that low it’s possible (not guaranteed but certainly possible) she will scratch out the bedding, fake eggs, or any real egg that has already been laid in that nest.

Are the chickens sleeping in the nest? I went back through this thread and did not see where you said yes or no, maybe I missed it. There is very little difference in the elevation of your roosts and the bottom of the nests. There is less difference in the roost height and the height of that lip on the nests. I can’t tell how far away from the nests that first roost is, it looks pretty close. It’s possible they are sleeping in the nests, roosting on the lip with their butt hanging over the nests, or if that roost is close enough, they are pooping in the nests from there.

I don’t know what is going on. A common fix if the chickens are roosting where you don’t want them to is to raise the roost you want them to use if it is really low to start with. That doesn’t always work but it often does. Sometimes you have to move them from where they are sleeping to the roost to help break them of the habit of sleeping in the nests or on that lip.

You have a pretty small coop. I think it can work if you give them a lot of time outside the coop when they are awake, but it is going to be hard to raise the roosts and keep them from pooping in the nests, even if you move the roosts a little further away from the nests. So I suggest putting a top on the nests to keep them from pooping in them.

If the top of the nests is flat they may start sleeping up there and ignore the roosts especially if the roost is not higher than the tops of the nests. Fine, that becomes a droppings board. Maybe you don’t need a roost at all, just clean regularly. Or make the tops so steep they can’t roost on them.

Putting the nests somewhere else is also a possible solution. Under the coop is a possible location, an independent structure somewhere else in the run could also work as long as they have access to it early since they often lay pretty early in the morning. That gets back to your management practices.

I like having the nests where they can get to them from the coop so I can sleep in a bit if I feel like it. With your small coop you may find you need to open it up pretty early if you secure them in the coop section only overnight. I’m not guaranteeing that you will have behavioral problems if you leave them locked in that coop for hours, just that it is more likely. You don’t get guarantees with any behaviors of living animals, it just doesn’t work that way. But certain things can improve your odds of getting the behaviors you want.

 

[Joe19]

Thanks Ridge Runner

 

[Joe19]

So........I finished modifying the coop just a little while ago.

Enclosed the bottom on three sides and put a nesting box in the bottom. Didn't take a pic but I also raised one of the roosting perches up a few inches. The roosts are located on a seperate floor above the new nesting area. Felt good about it but then started wondering if the fact that the laying box is directly on the ground is going to be a problem or they won't take to it because of that. BTW....those are ceramic eggs.

 

[aart]

Good job! That should work....don't think nests on the ground will be a problem as long as they stay dry.

I'd remove the nest partitions in the upper area to make more room for spreading the roosts out.
(we need a pic of that too, you know?)

 

[Pstock44]

Looking good. I'd like to see what you did on the inside too. I'm closer to being done too. Cut in my pop door, enclose the bottom frame and move it in place. Funny how we get excited over simple little accomplishments! LOL

 

[Joe19]

Thank you both. Pstock, did you make those pvc feeders or buy them. They sell something similar at my local F&G but just the feeder alone is $30+. The waterer seemed like a good idea but it seems like only one bird at a time could eat out of the feeder.

 

[Pstock44]

I made them out of 4" and 2" pvc. Sanded the top of the big pipe so the cap is a loose fit. I've seen 2 orv3 eat at once, they take turns but never seen them all crowd it at once. With the bigger flock now and new coop I'm going to remake the bottom with a Tee fitting and two feeding tubes. I'll posts pics in a couple days when I get it modified.