We got our chickens before our coop and we're just about finished with the 8x8 coop. We have two hens that are in a makeshift run with a shelter, and we also have a separate makeshift run with a better shelter for a hen and her 5 chicks which are 3 1/2 weeks old now. The "Momma" hen still sits on her chicks at night in a corner on top of pine shavings. The other two hens (who haven't laid not one single egg in the 3 weeks that we've had them btw!) huddle up together on a perch in their shelter. My question is.... when I finish the 8x8 coop, probably in a couple of days, what set-up do I need to make for the "Momma" hen and her chicks and so I can also have a nesting box for the other two hens to hopefully start laying eggs in? I'm thinking opposite corners since Momma doesn't like the two other hens and chases them a lot, that is why they ended up in a separate run. I'll have an almost 8 ft long roost. How high should I put this roost or do I need to have a separate lower "practice" roost for the chicks?
