Newbie here. Need advice on roosting bar / nesting boxes ...

[iwantegglayers]

We just finished a chicken tractor. Bought it used and made improvements. Whole thing is 4x8. Coop is about 2x4 on one end.

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Im not sure how to fit a roosting bar and nesting boxes inside the wooden part (coop). Can I just put two boxes? I just got four orpington babies 8 wks old. Should there be roosting bars outside?
Oh and what if I go to work before daylight? Can I let them out then? Lots of questions... Thanks for your help

 

[jennifer0224]

Hi, I currently have 8 hens and have 3 nest boxes... I could get by with 2 though! So you probably only need 1, maybe 2 boxes max.

Can you make them exterior boxes so they do not take up interior space? If not, can you put two boxes on one end, with a roost over it, extending to the other end? I think a full 4 ft of roost space would be good for them. I dont know how tall this area is, but if you cannot do that, maybe 2 roosts, a foot or more apart, across the short side.

My husband leaves for work between 430 and 5 am, and opens their door for them. We do not have a lot of predators however, so i guess that will make a difference. The chickens are not up yet, so they just come out whenever they get up for the day. They like this a lot better than the weekends, when they are all squawking by the door at 7 when we go out there.

 

[Leigti]

That breed of chicken has been reported to go broody. So you will need at least two nest boxes so that if one decides to sit on eggs the others can lay their eggs in the other nest. I leave home before daylight, about 6 AM, and I open the door then. But you could get an automatic door opener.

 

[iwantegglayers]

Thank you! I wonder if I can just put the nesting boxes in during the day and take them out at night? That would solve the space problem.