Newbie coop questions? Need help :)

[TheHoverMother]

My husband hired a guy to build out part of our shavings barn for 8 chicks he bought in May. I love the set up, but it’s become obvious the coop doesn’t meet the needs of our little flock.

Pic 1 shows one side of the coop, the other side is identical with 8 nesting boxes in total.

Pic 2 shows a walkway used to enter the coop from the upper door, it encompasses the entire coop on the upper level and allows access to the nesting boxes.

Pic 3 shows a smaller door that was added later for the silkies to use when they were small. Everyone uses it now!

Pic 4 shows the entrance to the coop from inside the shavings barn.

Pic 5 Looking out into a secure grassy area from the enclosed area directly outside the coop. This is where they spend most of their time during the day.

My main concern is the layout of the coop. There’s an obvious lack of roosting bars and I feel the one we do have is too high off the ground. I need to add more, but where and how high should they be?

Secondly, the nesting boxes (8) are nice, but will my girls use all of them? They huddle on top of the nesting boxes at night, is that because I don’t have the proper roosting bar set up for them?

My two silkies sleep in the nesting boxes every night, should they have their own area with a shorter roosting bar? They seem very timid and last in pecking order, so I worry about their safety amongst the others.

My goal is to make all the necessary improvements before they start laying. I’d appreciate any and all suggestions/opinions. Being a visual learner, I’d love to see your pics too...so, please share.

I love my little flock and want them to be happy and healthy!!

BTW... Hope I labeled the pics correctly! Typing on a phone while drinking my third cup of coffee could be problematic for my fingers.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

You dont need all 8. I have 8 birds myself and we only have 3 boxes. They will use all 3 but usually just lay in one or two. For roosting bars you can just get some 2x4s and nail them up. Theyll also roost on tree limbs.

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

I think the average number is about 4 chickens per nesting box. They like to share! Haha
Make sure roosts are above nesting boxes to avoid roosting in boxes and don’t put roost on top of nesting box to prevent poop in nest box.
I’ve heard people use branches but thick ones. They typically rest their breast on the branch with open hands.
You want roosts to be high enough to jump up too. Some bantams love super high roosts. But leave 2 feet for head space.

 

[snow5164]

I have an easy solution , add a 2x4 on top of nesting boxes, that’s what we have and then the top of the boxes is the poop board . It really works well , and yes the silkies need one or two on the ground with a 2x2 board on the top edge , mine roost there every night ...

Don’t use nails as screws are easier for hubby to remove when you change your mind it’s true

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

Just make sure with all the hussle and busses the roost can fall. Or else they won’t trust the roost and will start clear of it. Like Snow said use screws so you can move them. I like 1x2s but 2x4s are excellent

 

[Dr.GarryTTucker]

I think it’s silly but you could use a poop hammock.

Mine don’t like round bars they steer clear of it.

 

[TheHoverMother]

Thank you for taking time to help me. Good to know the hen ratio to available nesting boxes. The poop hammock is a good idea too! I’ll look into how much room I have when we start measuring for placement of the roosting bars. I still have a lot of reading to do before improvements start. Thanks again for the info!

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!
You're in the right place to get things squared away.
Lots of folks here are good and experinced at building and giving viable advice.
Thanks for adding your location, it really helps!

Yeah, um, he didn't know what he was doing as far as what chickens need.

First(my numbers, not yours) thing is that 'walkway' covered with chicken wire.
What was he thinking?
Take that wire off there pronto, very hard on their feet and could cause injury.
Most that framework could probably be removed and reused somewhere else once you get plan in order, hopefully he used screws so it's easy to modify

Second, chicken wire on the walls and door is not predator proof so your birds may be at risk.

I agree that roost is too high for the size of the coop, not enough room to fly down without crashing into something.

Yeah, for 8 birds 3 nests are plenty.

The chicken door is confusing me, I can't tell quite where it is in relation to the coop.
Maybe more pics from further back to show the whole thing?

Can help further with more info.
BTW...what is a 'shavings barn'?

 

[PetesChicks]

Your Silkies might roost with the rest, or they might sleep in the bedding. I have 2, one roosted in the roost (with a ramp to get to it) right from the beginning. The other slept in a corner on the floor for about a year. Now she sleeps either on the roost or on the poop board.

Also, as far as them getting bullied goes, you might not have to worry. When I was integrating my chicks this spring, the bigger of my 2 silkies would put them in their place when they needed it. My Black Australorp is the biggest bully, chasing them anytime they got near each other. If the little chicks ran behind the silky, she would stand up to the BA (that is twice her size) and the BA would back down from her.

 

[TheHoverMother]

Welcome to BYC!
You're in the right place to get things squared away.
Lots of folks here are good and experinced at building and giving viable advice.
Thanks for adding your location, it really helps!

Yeah, um, he didn't know what he was doing as far as what chickens need.

First(my numbers, not yours) thing is that 'walkway' covered with chicken wire.
What was he thinking?
Take that wire off there pronto, very hard on their feet and could cause injury.
Most that framework could probably be removed and reused somewhere else once you get plan in order, hopefully he used screws so it's easy to modify

Second, chicken wire on the walls and door is not predator proof so your birds may be at risk.

I agree that roost is too high for the size of the coop, not enough room to fly down without crashing into something.

Yeah, for 8 birds 3 nests are plenty.

The chicken door is confusing me, I can't tell quite where it is in relation to the coop.
Maybe more pics from further back to show the whole thing?

Can help further with more info.
BTW...what is a 'shavings barn'?

Welcome to BYC!
You're in the right place to get things squared away.
Lots of folks here are good and experinced at building and giving viable advice.
Thanks for adding your location, it really helps!

Yeah, um, he didn't know what he was doing as far as what chickens need.

First(my numbers, not yours) thing is that 'walkway' covered with chicken wire.
What was he thinking?
Take that wire off there pronto, very hard on their feet and could cause injury.
Most that framework could probably be removed and reused somewhere else once you get plan in order, hopefully he used screws so it's easy to modify

Second, chicken wire on the walls and door is not predator proof so your birds may be at risk.

I agree that roost is too high for the size of the coop, not enough room to fly down without crashing into something.

Yeah, for 8 birds 3 nests are plenty.

The chicken door is confusing me, I can't tell quite where it is in relation to the coop.
Maybe more pics from further back to show the whole thing?

Can help further with more info.
BTW...what is a 'shavings barn'?

Thank you for the input! This is EXACTLY what I need.

Welcome to BYC!
You're in the right place to get things squared away.
Lots of folks here are good and experinced at building and giving viable advice.
Thanks for adding your location, it really helps!

Yeah, um, he didn't know what he was doing as far as what chickens need.

First(my numbers, not yours) thing is that 'walkway' covered with chicken wire.
What was he thinking?
Take that wire off there pronto, very hard on their feet and could cause injury.
Most that framework could probably be removed and reused somewhere else once you get plan in order, hopefully he used screws so it's easy to modify

Second, chicken wire on the walls and door is not predator proof so your birds may be at risk.

I agree that roost is too high for the size of the coop, not enough room to fly down without crashing into something.

Yeah, for 8 birds 3 nests are plenty.

The chicken door is confusing me, I can't tell quite where it is in relation to the coop.
Maybe more pics from further back to show the whole thing?

Can help further with more info.
BTW...what is a 'shavings barn'?

Welcome to BYC!
You're in the right place to get things squared away.
Lots of folks here are good and experinced at building and giving viable advice.
Thanks for adding your location, it really helps!

Yeah, um, he didn't know what he was doing as far as what chickens need.

First(my numbers, not yours) thing is that 'walkway' covered with chicken wire.
What was he thinking?
Take that wire off there pronto, very hard on their feet and could cause injury.
Most that framework could probably be removed and reused somewhere else once you get plan in order, hopefully he used screws so it's easy to modify

Second, chicken wire on the walls and door is not predator proof so your birds may be at risk.

I agree that roost is too high for the size of the coop, not enough room to fly down without crashing into something.

Yeah, for 8 birds 3 nests are plenty.

The chicken door is confusing me, I can't tell quite where it is in relation to the coop.
Maybe more pics from further back to show the whole thing?

Can help further with more info.
BTW...what is a 'shavings barn'?

Thank you for the suggestions. Exactly what I need!
Yeah.. not sure how the walkway “thing” came to be. It’ll come down this weekend when the roosts are built.
Shavings? It’s bedding we use in the horse stalls. The coop was built in an unused area of the shavings barn. The chicken door is actually located on the wall that separates the coop from the shavings barn, the other side is the exterior wall of the coop/shavings barn. I’ll snap a picture this weekend.