New Coop Plans

[RachelCheyenne]

Hi everybody! In advance, thanks for the help
So, I'm converting a horse stall in my barn into a chicken coop. The stall is an 8x10 ft and I'm not sure yet how big I'm going to make the attached run. I have 14 chickens but sadly, I might have to get rid of some since I ended up with 4 roosters. With 10 hens will one rooster be enough or should I keep two or will they fight too bad?...
Anyway, back to the question: is one nest box per hen overboard? I plan on raising some chicks so if they're not all used this year hopefully they will be next year. Also, how big do perches need to be?, and could I just go out in the woods and use tree limbs since they're already round? Good size for a nest box? Amount of perch space per bird? And pleeease help with my feeder and waterer problem: how do you keep it clean?? My chicks knock it over and fill it with wood chips within 20 minutes of me putting it in there! Alright, one last question, will putting sawdust down on a dirt floor be fine in a chicken coop? I know it's not cedar, I think it's poplar. I'm hoping it will keep it dry.

 

[chfite]

One rooster for ten hens is about right for fertile eggs. You don't need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs, of course.

Nesting boxes I made are about a foot cube. You don't need a box for each hen. I have four laying. They usually use only the same two boxes of the three. One box for each two or three is probably enough. Others may know better than I.

You can raise the food and water to chest height or suspend it to keep them from knocking it over or pooping in it.

I would use sand on a dirt floor. It seems that damp sawdust will tend to stay that way, possibly creating a environment favorable for nasty things to grow.

Chris