Pictures of roost "huddle boxes" please......

[gabby3535]

I am looking for some ideas (pictures please) of anyone's "huddle boxes", or insulated 'hovers', enclosed roost boxes, etc......
to make a warmer area for my girls when they roost at night this coming winter!
Here's a picture of my 2 x 4 roosts, with droppings board below.........

I was thinking of somehow boxing in 1/2 the length, so they can choose to be in "the coop within the coop", or not.....but am open to any and all
ideas/suggestions anyone might have.
Thanks for any advice!!

 

[dftkarin]

I like your thinking! Lets see what people post!

 

[gabby3535]

***Bump**

Anyone????

 

[Bugcrusher]

Way down here in Fl, but from Jersey originally, Browns Mills. Looks like u have all u need there, as long as there are no drafts the should be fine. On a really cold night I would add a heat lamp and cover the screens to prevent to much draft, but they should be fine.

 

[silkiechicken]

Not sure what the weather is like in NJ, but in western WA, even in the cold week we had in the teens, my birds just huddled up and slept in the OUTSIDE part of the tractor.

I bet it's fine as is.

 

[gabby3535]

I'm trying to 'not' do any supplemental heat, unless reeeeeally necessary.........
and it 'does' get into the 'teens' sometimes here in NJ...........
and I 'think' my set-up is pretty good.........BUT........
I'd just like to give the girls a 'coop within a coop' or a covered 'huddle box', so they can make their own comfort choices.

I have a few ideas in my head of what to do............but I was really curious to see some pics of what others have done
for a huddle box.

I'm hoping for some replies......

 

[the simple life]

Are you trying to do something permanent or temporary just for winters?
You could just kind of enclose what you have with a board in the front and load up on shavings or hay.
It would be kind of like one big nestbox.
I have a couple of chickens that have always preferred to huddle together inside the nestboxes, they squeeze 2 or 3 in there at night.
They were younger than the rest and either were not allowed on the roost by the older chickens or just did not want to but that is where they would be when I closed them up for the night.
I usually would not allow chickens to sleep in nestboxes but these particular ones never messed them up so I let them be.
Some people just take haybales and make a little enclosure for chickens outside, it could work inside as well. Then you can use the bales around the yard when you are done.
That spot on the floor under your roost could be closed up with a haybale or something and they could use that area as well.
As I said I had some birds that preferred not to roost, if yours all do then it would not work.
Good luck, hope you get some ideas.

 

[gabby3535]

I'm hoping for some replies this weekend when more folks are around, so...............last bump!

 

[Klorinth]

I'll reply to this I guess. I posted this in a couple of other threads...

Here is what I have set up for mine. 2"x4" perch set up between two nesting boxes. The perch is 4' off the floor to bring the whole thing up away from the cold floor. Above the perch is a 2' deep storage shelf. This is made of 4.5" styrofoam and plywood.

I have now done more to it. There is now two layers of the reflective bubble insulation on the "ceiling" of the Hover. This insulation then drops down in front of the hover to form a 6" skirt.

Hopefully this will all help to hold some warmer air around my chickens. They need the help in the prairie winters.

I hope this helps.

 

[Sammimom]

I could use ideas on this subject too...I was thinking some kind of hanging curtain to make a smaller area?