Planning Now Need Help On Nesting Box Location

[Uncle Marc]

I have drawn plans for a 12 x 12 coop, two rooms, one for us to work in 6 x 12 and one for the chickens. I was thinking of putting the nesting boxes on the divider wall with an opening into the work/entry room at about counter top height for egg gathering. Would that be too high? Would I need a ramp? I was thinking I would put the roost across from the nesting boxes on the back or south wall with a similar height for the poop tray and the roosts above that by a foot or so. Does this sound like a good idea?

 

[CarolJ]

I'm getting a coop with a similar design. There will be a chicken area and a people area. I'm putting the nest boxes so that I can open them up from the people side of the room. I didn't want them to open up to the outside because then I'd get wet gathering the eggs when it was raining. I think that as long as the roosting poles are higher than the nesting boxes, it'll work. If the nesting boxes are higher than the roosting poles, then the chicken will try to roost in them - and you don't want that!

 

[wyododge]

You don't need a ramp, chickens can jump over a 6' fence. a two foot jump for them is like walking up a step for you.

One thing I would consider is making it 4' people and 8' chicken x 12'. less cleaning (the solution to pollution is dilution), room for expansion, etc. If you put your nest boxes so they protrude into the coop, you wont loose any more work space, and the chickens wont loose any floor space (they can walk under them). Once the fun has worn off, you wont really be in their 'working' much. We have a 4' 'work area' and it is plenty big. We also used a sliding door for the coop instead of a swing door to save floor space. Since yours is in a protected area, you don't need the heavy door I did. The access door to my nest boxes opens and makes a table for collecting eggs. Our nest boxes are two high, four wide and the top nest box is not much lower than the roosts, maybe a foot, but I don't think so.

I have pics on my page if you like.

Just a thought.

 

[mychoock]

True words. We built our coop 13 years ago, with a small people area and a larger chicken area. We should have made the people area bigger, cuz it gets used to store extra feed, wood shavings, hay bales, supplies for brooding chicks, grass seed, sick dogs...Hey maybe we need a barn.
The nesting boxes are in the dividing wall, and a hinged section opens into the people area. But we made them too high (equal height with the roosts on opposite wall). Yes, the birds do roost on the edges of the nesting boxes and so I clean poop out every morning. Yuk.
All things considered, we did a good job when we built. But next time will be perfect.

 

[wyododge]

Quote:
Squueze a rubber play ball in the nest boxes at night, after a while, they will give up on the nest boxes. Also, if you remove them a bit rudely at night. they will get the idea, just don't do it during the day.

 

[mychoock]

Thank you, wyododge. That sounds like good advice. I will be trying that, starting tomorrow night.

 

[wyododge]

Quote:
Great part is if it doesn't work, you can smear peanut butter on the ball and watch chicken hockey...

 

[Ole rooster]

It may be true you don't need a ramp but I have some that just don't like to jump that much or either are lazy. So I accomadate those. I find that once the ramp is in place most use it. Some, the BO's will walk bottom up, while others might jump up to the middle and walk the rest of the way. In the morning I've seen the BO's walk all the way down so I leave it in place.

 

[Melissa Rose]

I am building my coop and put my nesting boxes on two outside walls. The back and one side. I put them about 4 inches above the ground so that if they are hatching chicks the chicks wont get hurt leaving the nest. My friend thinks they need to be higher up. He says they won't nest in them if they are only four inches above the ground? I am new to chickens so I would appreciate the input!

 

[mychoock]

Two things. First, all my birds are now roosting on the roost perches. It took a couple nights of lifting hens off the nests, and they soon caught on. So that is solved, at least for now.
Secondly, when we first built our coop, we didn't even think that some day those eggs might be allowed to hatch into chicks, so our nests are built about three feet off the floor.
Now, with different hens, I hope for some to brood and hatch out chicks, and I guess that will happen in a separate pen, on floor level. I wouldn't want chicks to fall out that far. If we ever build another coop, I will try to think about all these details.