Nesting Boxes for 10 hens

[Jerb]

Good Morning All

I have 3 Black Sex Links, 4 ISA Browns and 3 Roaster/Boiler Hens - How many Nesting Boxes should I make for them??? Will they share boxes between breeds???

My coop is also my kids old bus house - it is 4x5 - and 8 foot tall - then the run outside is 3 feet wide by 3 foot tall and 6 foot long on one run and then 3 feet wide by 5 foot tall and then 6 foot long on the other run - it is in the shape of a "L" - is this going to be enough space or should I start building onto it as well??


Thank you in advance for all answers and comments

 

[omelette'smom]

I have 15 laying hens and they lay only in 3 of the 6. The rest they sleep in! Run sizes seem fine!

 

[omelette'smom]

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Two or three nestboxes should be fine. If three of the hens are CornishX type, better make the nestboxes very low to the ground so they can get there and back without injury.

Coop is pretty tight if they'll be wanting to spend a lot of time in there, minimally ok otherwise (2 sq ft per hen). If I am understanding correctly (am I?) run is two 3x6' areas, thus 18+18=32 sq ft, which is REAL REAL small for 10 chickens and I'd suggest tripling the size (unless I've got the dimensions wrong).

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

I think your coop and run are pretty small for the amount of chickens you have. The usual standard for happy chickens that won't peck each other is 4 sf per hen inside the coop and 10 sf per chicken in the run. You have 20 sf in your coop and 38 sf in the run, which is more suitable for 4-5 standard size hens (at the most). If you are able, I would definitely enlarge your run.

Assuming you are planning to eat the roasters before too long, you'll want to make your run about 70 sf. for the 7 chickens you'll have left.

If your roaster/broiler chickens are cornish x, you won't need nestboxes for them - they don't roost or nest. If you are planning to have 7 layers, 2 nestboxes will be enough - if all 10 chickens are layers, you'll probably need 3 boxes.

 

[gimme sum eggs]

I agree with the others. That's not enough room for happy birds. Per adult bird, the normal minimums are 4 sq.ft/bird coop area and 8-10 sq.ft/bird for the run area. Putting too many birds in an area will decrease your egg production, not to mention bad health and social repercussions on your flock.

They also like to have a minimum of 10" of perch length per bird.

Time to add on!! Adding on & getting more chicks is a common occurrence to those with the chicken bug.