Opening up the Nesting Box & Separating the Flock

[ruetaylo]

My chicks are about 13 weeks old. To date, I have blocked the nesting box off to prevent them from getting used to sleeping in them. (I have two of the backyard pre-fab coops for my 6 pullets). I have 2 questions:

1 - When do I open the nesting boxes? I have 2 spangled hamburgs which supposedly start laying eggs b/w 12-15 weeks old. The rest of the flock has several weeks to grow before laying. Should I wait until feb or march or let them in now?

2- The coops that I have are too small for all 6 as the get bigger. Right now, they sleep on top of each other in one of our two coops. The coops are connected via a run. In a few short months, they will be too big to fit in the space and it will be too hot for this intense snuggling. How do I encourage them to split up between the two coops at night so they can stretch out?

 

[Ridgerunner]

1 - When do I open the nesting boxes?

Mine have always been open since my first chicks were in the coop at 5 weeks of age. I now always have hens laying so mine are never closed. But your coops look a lot different from mine. Personally I would want the nests open at least a week before they start to lay so if there is a problem I can try to fix it.

If your roosts are noticeably higher than the nests and you have sufficient roost space, it's generally not an issue. I'm not sure your prefab coops meet any of those conditions.

2- The coops that I have are too small for all 6 as the get bigger.

Could you post photos and give dimensions of the prefab coops you have, including info on the run. A link to a site that shows those coops and gives dimensions could really be helpful. I'm basically looking for what you have to work with to see if I can come up with any ideas. An idea on your location so we can see what your climate may be like could be helpful.

I personally don't like the vast majority of prefab coops. Occasionally you might find a good one but the majority are usually not designed well for chickens, they are designed to sell. People use them but often they need to make modifications. What do you actually have to work with?

 

[ruetaylo]

Thank you!

1 - the roosts are a few inches higher than the nesting box, but not by much. Per your comment, I opened up the nesting boxes today. When I went to shut their door tonight, Rocket Ship (my 3.5 yr old named our hens) was sleeping in the nesting box. Randomly, one of the hens was sleeping by itself tonight. That never happens.

2- the two coops are about 4' apart and open up to some open space that's all fenced in next to our back deck. They are also able to roam around under the deck. When we are home and playing or working outside, we let them free in the yard.

Dimensions of the cooper (the two are very similar)
Exterior dimensions: 81" wide x 33.5" deep x 50.4" tall, at peak
Interior dimensions, house: 25.6" wide x 25.6" deep, excluding nest box
Interior dimensions, nest box: 12" wide x 21.6" deep x 14" at highest (12" high at lowest)