Roosts and Nesting Boxes

[MountainChickenMama]

So, my new coop is almost complete....it is a converted 8x10 shed, with a 30 foot long run and 6 feet wide....

I need to know how high to make the roosts inside the shed, how many I need and what size board to use....I have 1 silkie and 1 polish cross which the the smallest of my flock, the rest are larger birds (golden comet, a few amereaucana's, BLRW, Favorelle, Sicillain Buttercup, and EE)...I am planning on having less than 20 chickens in this coop...

I also would like to know how high off the floor to make the nesting boxes...

thanks for any input...Please ask any other questions, I might have forgotten to tell ya what ya need to answer....

 

[mljohnson05]

What is the polish crosses with ?
Silkies Will NOT like anything high...many will not even roost...mine even hate going up ramps...I put a roost 6 inches off the ground and sometimes they will get on that...but I have yet to get them on anything higher, (since they cannot fly..most prefer to sleep on the ground)... I also put a few nesting boxes just a few inches off the ground just for my silkies.

For the others I made a "angled ladder" type roost for them.... staring at 12 inches and going on up (so they can hop up to whatever level they like) and many pick the 4 foot level in my coop and run.
I have a lot of trees, so I used natural tree branches to make my ladder roost for them....but if using boards you want them to be at least 1 inch minimum...I usually go at least 2 inch across, and round the edges a bit...this will help prevent foot injuries if they love to roost a lot.....

If I forgot anything, please feel free to ask

Best Wishes,
Laura

 

[jaj121159]

For a Coop that size I would put the roosts about 4' off the floor and use 8' long 2"x4"s spaced about 16" apart. I like to have my roosts level and not as a ladder. For the Silkies, you could put a 2"x2" about six inches off the floor. I would build the nest boxes so they sit right on the floor or just slightly off of it.

 

[MountainChickenMama]

Bump

 

[KDK1]

As long as the roost is higher than the nesting boxes you'll be fine. As for the silkies, since they don't like to roost high, build them one close to the ground LOWER than the nesting boxes so they won't sleep in them. We all know what they do when they sleep and you don't want that in the nesting boxes.

 

[MountainChickenMama]

How high should the nesting box be so that the silkie can get in it, cause I know she can't fly very well, LOL

 

[bryan99705]

Keep the roost pole above the nest boxes to prevent roosting in the boxes but don't go too high. I would suggest maybe 2 - 3 feet so the little ones can use it and the big ones don't get hurt when they jump down. I built a ladder for my tweens out of 1 1/2 diameter branches or saplings so when they go out to the big coop they can go higher as they get stronger of simply sit on a lower rung to stay out of the way of the bullies. The roost pole is a small tree with a couple branches so everyone has room and everyone is the same heigth to prevent fighting over the tallest point, they seem to love the rough bark and the natural roundness of the wood.

Nest boxes can be as low as you wish, as long as you can afford the floor space. Remember to keep nest cleaning in mind, the smoother the surface to easier it is to clean. Recycling bins work great and are smooth plastic so the clean easy. If you have the boxes a couple feet off the floor, a porch or perch across the from makes it more hen friendly, they don't have to jump into the box and can walk between boxes to get to their favorite one.

 

[AlienChick]

I have an 8x12 coop with 23 chickens (bantams & LF).
I attached a roost about 4' on the left and another one at the rear about 3' high,
then they have another roost just in front of the nest boxes (about 18" high).

My silkies do not roost, so I provided cat litter boxes for them all around the bottom of the coop in various places.
They seem to all like to huddle inside the cat litter box at night.

 

[MarinMama]

I have silkies and put the lower roost at around 18 inches and the higher roost a foot higher than that. There is a small ladder/ramp to help the chicks get up...never seen them use it but in the morning I see silkies on both roosts.