nesting boxes

[beepbeepinajeep]

Do nesting boxes have to be located at the bottom of the coop?

Also, we took out the remaining nesting boxes at my Great Great Grandfather's coop (so likely well over 100 years old b/c my Great Grandfather is 101 right now). They look a little different than what I've been seeing online and in books. Will they work ok? I can take pictures tomorrow to post if that would help.

 

[pdsavage]

No they dont have to be at the bottom,alot have em there for there broody hens...
And yes old nesting boxs should work just fine,hens wont care they lay eggs sometimes in the weirdest places....

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

So if I had a couple at the bottom and a couple more on a shelf up higher that should work?

 

[Debi214]

That sounds perfect; I wish I could come up with something besides small dog igloos (they have clean pine shavings in them!).

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

That sounds like a really good idea! We are limited on space since DH is building a chicken tractor. It's looking good It's been fun to have a project to work on together & exciting to bring some farm animals back to the farm

 

[tn chick]

pictures please would love to see the older ones,
those are special and myself i love to recycle

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

I'll see if I can take pictures tonight... brb.

 

[beepbeepinajeep]

Both are nesting boxes from the old coop. Maybe one is older than the other or something? I know they recycled some like the one on the left when they built cages for breeding rabbits several years before I was born.

This is what the front of the tractor looks like. The rectangles on the ground are how my great great grandfather bought honey. My husband took them to build some beehives. We've been wanting to for a while now.

We read that there needed to be natural light in the coop. What will we need to do in the winter or will it be OK? We live in the Piedmont of NC, so not terribly cold. We do get some cold weather though. The ventilation at the top I guess we'll cover with fabric when it gets cold.

The other side... he added hinges where we can clean it out/collect eggs. I think he'll need to have a way to get to the other nesting box... I don't think that looks like fun to crawl through to get to the other one.

Any ideas for connecting the run to the coop? He is going to add more support in the middle to keep dogs from jumping on top of it & smooshing the chickens. We're going to add a layer of chicken wire on top. Will we need to put anything on it to keep animals from getting under it? Would you just extend the chicken wire a little ways under it?

We'd love feedback. His family didn't keep chickens. My great-grandfather is 101 or I'd have him out here helping us I do need to visit him and ask for his advice If nothing else, we're sure to get a good story out of him. I have a story written up that he told about going frog gigging and him being worried about someone following him (he thought a person). When he got home there were a bunch of copperheads following the blood dripping out of the bag!

I really want to preserve this kind of experience for my kids. We're on about 80 acres here, might as well put it to good use!

 

[newchicksinWI]

I am not only interested in the location of the nesting boxes, but would like to know how many are needed. I have never had chickens before, and am doing this with the help of my father, who used to raise them. I am starting with 24 chicks, which arrive next week. The tractor coops (we're building 2) are being built this weekend, although I realize they won't be old enough to use them for a while, and I want to make sure I don't miss anything. There is sure a lot of great information in this site and forum.