Nesting boxes below roosts?

[julnjake]

Someone said my nesting boxes need to be below my roosts.... I have not heard that before, I would have to find a way to reconfigure my whole set up, is it very important to do it that way?

Our "coop" is not a coop I'm learning, it's a raised bunch of nesting boxes! It's on 4 legs, about 6' long and 2 1/2' deep, with two rows of nesting boxes. We are trying to free range the chickens during the day which so far is working pretty well as long as I keep them fed enough with layer mash (when I wasn't they were heading off to the neighbors). My dogs are loose (and very well chicken behaved) so it seems there's at present no threat of predators during the day.

We're going to add on to it so it's more of a true coop instead of just nesting boxes. We plan to put the boards (we are using the same rough cut lumber that is going on the barn) 12" deep into the ground. Right now you just walk up to this long box sitting in the air with a chicken door on the back with a ramp and drop down doors on the front for egg retreival. I plan to extend and enclose the front about 4' wide from the existing front with a man door on the side so that when you walk in to your left will be perches and to the right will be the existing nesting boxes with room to move between the perch area and nesting boxes.

Thanks!
Juli

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Chickens will roost on the HIGHEST thing they possibly can so I would for sure put the nest boxes below the roosts or they will be sleeping/roosting in/on the boxes which isn't good. Nest boxes should be about 18-22 inches above floor level IMO Chickens can get to them easily and won't be interested in roosting on them.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Can you post pics of your coop? That will help get several opinions on it to help you out

Plus we all LOVE seeing pictures

 

[julnjake]

Why is it bad to roost in nesting boxes?

I believe I cannot post pics yet because I don't have 10 posts?

 

[Baymen Moe]

Quote:
If they roost in the nesting boxes, your boxes will be full of POOP

 

[Nicole01]

I never heard of that. My nest boxes are at the opposite end of the roosts in the coop. My roosts are not high, only 2 feet off the ground. My nest boxes is made out of a tall night stand. We put a divider in the middle area and the cabinet below is a nest box, we left a door on one side on the bottom for privacy. They lay their eggs in the middle where the two nests are divided. My chickens are very happy with our setup. We use the top shelf of the night stand to hold a bucket and my scooper. They rarely fly up there.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

If they roost in the nesting boxes, your boxes will be full of POOP

Yes and that leads to poopy eggs, which is VERY bad

They rarely fly up there.

I've never heard of a chicken not flying as high up as they can go...are yours younger yet? Mine didn't fly high until they were adults but I have had chickens for 5 years now and every single group (except the bantam cochins and silkies of course) would fly as high as they could possibly go.​

 

[Fred's Hens]

Nesting boxed "below" you roosts just means lower than your roosts. The chicken self preservation instinct is to fly up to a high place to roost, out of danger.
x2 on sleeping in nesting boxes. Yuck. Chickens pass a ton 'o poop while they sleep.

 

[julnjake]

Thanks for the advice, right now the girls are sleeping in nesting boxes because thats all we have. Hopefully tomorrow that will be remedied. Guess I need to get posting because I'd like to post a pic & get ideas or advice!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Nesting boxed "below" you roosts just means lower than your roosts.

Yes yes...NOT actually below the roost cuz that may be bad as well with all the poo falling on them. I have mine on opposite sides as my roosts...sorry if I confused ppl​