questions about my coop "PICS"

[countrygirl911]

hi everyone i am now ready to do the roosts and nest boxes inside my coop and i have a fe questions on how to go about doing it

1 how high do the roosts need to be off the ground and how much space per bird

2 as of now i have 10 chickens but i look to expand to 20 how many nest boxes will i need how big to make then and how far off the ground to make them

i will really appreciate any answers

 

[turtlebird]

3-4 birds per nest box, at least 18" off the ground. My nest boxes are 12"x14"x14" (that is how it worked out with the lumber we had), but I have large birds.
10 inches of roost space per bird. Anything goes for height, as long as they can get up to them. The higher they are, the hotter it is (bad-summer...good-winter). I generally have my roost higher than the nest boxes, but not over the nest boxes

If you do a search on this site, you will find the general recommendations. You can tweak to fit your situation! Good luck

 

[only one lay]

My roosts alloted about 12inches per bird and the way I built it there are two levels. one at about 36 inches and one at about 42. I left about 14 inches between them. I have had upto 39 birds and have no issues. I also have 6 nest boxes. It has been plenty. just be sure nest box levels are below the roost level height.

 

[countrygirl911]

ty so much for your replies i have a 10 X 8 coop and a 16 X 16 run i used a shed from lowes to built the coop and i an converting it I have 2 BR, 3 RIR one of which i believe is a rooster, 2 blacksex linked/black stars, and 3 EE and I look to add more of the same next summer unlesi get my husband on my side and i will get more before then lol my next question is how much space does each of these chickens need in the coop so i know a rough estimate on how many more i can get later and if i need to build a second coop and then have 2 coops full of beautiful chickens below is a pic of the coop and run i know it looks pitiful but that is all we could aford at the time and the chickens seem to love it

pick of the first 5 chicks to go inside the coop the wire is attached to the door that we built it is opened every morning to let them out into the run and closed at night so they are safe and go to sleep
the orriginal door that came with the shed is on their but never closed we use the door we built so air can cerculate

the boards are the temp roosts i made

ok last question what is the best way to do the feed and water so it does not get poop or anything else in it or rain water becasue when it rains and the wind blows i notice some rain get in thru the front door not a lot but a little also i have crazy chicks they try to get out in the rain to play this weekend we are putting gravel around the edges of the coop to completely seal it off from any water that might try to run in

sorry for all the questions but i am new to this and really do not know how to go about building a coop my uncle and husband did the best that they could and i love them for it but i do wish alot of times i had a better built one again thns everyone for your help

 

[dumb_cluck]

Good start, but you may need more to make the run and coop predator proof. The floor of the shed can easily be dug from the outside by a fox or whatever. Once they get into the coop.......... not good.

Also, if no one is home to watch, the outdoor run also will need protection from the ground as well as the air (hawks, owls, etc)

If you follow the dialog here on BYC under this category and others you will find a wealth of information on predator proofing.

Be careful, be aware, and good luck!