Question about nest boxes

[brounii]

Hello all.....I have a question about the next boxes that are stacked on top of each other. How do the chickens get to the top boxes if the perch in front of the boxes are the same length? Should I make the bottom perch stick out farther so that it would be easier to get to the top ones, or will that be too tempting to roost on? Some help and guidance would be appreciated. Oh, and by the way, I was planning on putting them 18" off the ground. So the bottom two will be 18" off the ground and the top two stacked directly on top of them.

 

[Sissy]

I have taken the easest way for nest boxes.
I took square plastic empty cat litter pails
put screws or nails 18in. off the floor
on to the walls made holes into the back of the litter box
and hung them up easy to unhook
and dump when then get dirty.and add clean wood shavings.
hope this helps.

 

[teach1rusl]

So the bottom perch is 18 inches, and the next perch is probably about 32 inches (assuming nest box height of about 14 inches)...even if it was 36 inches high, that should not be a big problem even for heavy birds, unless there's simply no "lift-off" space. If you were in doubt, you could always make a little chicken ramp up to them though...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Agree. Some of my full sized chickens fly straight up to a 4 foor high roost and some use the top of the nest box as an intermediate step. They'll have no trouble getting to a 3 foot high perch to get to the nest box if they want to and if they have a little lift off room. It doesn't take much lift off room either.

 

[brounii]

Thank you 'Teach1rusl' and 'Ridgerunner' !!! I appreciate your replies and help. I feel much better about it now. I guess only time will tell, and I can always add a ramp later if the birds aren't using the top boxes.

'Sissy', I love your idea too, sounds like you've got it covered. I was actually planning on cutting a 'Tidy Cats' bucket in half and using those as the liners to the nest boxes so they'll be easy to clean out. Thank you!

Don't you just love BYC ?!! It's such a great source of information....Thanks again!

 

[33yardbirds]

I don't have a perch on my top boxes and they are 24" off the floor. I have rocks and they have no trouble getting up there. I have to say though that my wife had me lower them to 9" off the floor as opposed to 18" to the bottom boxes.

 

[brounii]

Thank you '33yardbirds'......I think I will lower mine also. I'll ensure that they can reach the top boxes without any problems and this way it'll be a little easier for my 3 year old son to reach the eggs, lol.

Oh, by the way, I also have Barred Plymouth Rocks. I only have 8 though, but that is plenty for us. They are 2 1/2 weeks old now and growing like weeds. We better hurry up and get this coop finished soon, lol. Thanks again for your input. Much appreciated

 

[ZombieChickens]

Quote:
Me too!

 

[The Sheriff]

I just made these and they sit on the floor. The second story has a small ledge for landing. Maybe I should raise mine up a bit higher and free up more floor space.

 

[brounii]

Wow 'The Warden', Those look great! I'm hoping to have something very similar to those only 4 instead of 8. I checked out your BYC page and enjoyed your story about the Icelandic chickens and your adventure in getting them. You are truly blessed with a heart of gold for animals. I also checked out your blog and fell in love with your 'little farm'. You even have your goats trained. How impressive is that!

I appreciate your post and wish you and your family all the best.