Separate Roost House and Nest House

[tquadchicken]

Hello. Long time reader but first time poster. Has anyone used a separate roost house and nest house? I'm curious as to who's tried this and how the chickens adapted to having to sleep in one house and lay eggs in another? I ask because I currently have eight hens and have done the usual one coop with feeding, watering and nesting under one roof and with a small free range area. In about a month I'll be getting fifty more hens.

 

[Jferlisi]

Well first off Welcome to BYC. I myself have never tried this. But i know there are people who do have nestboxes in like free range areas and they lay in them fine. As to getting them to start laying in them i have no idea. I would place a white pingpong ball or golfball in them if they aren't sleeping in that coop to show them where to lay. You might find a egg on the floor here or there but what i do when i notice a hen not using the boxes and going elsewhere i move her to a nest box and be consistent with doing it. So she gets the idea.
'Hope this helps.

 

[lynn1961]

I use a seperate roost house and egg laying area. It works pretty well, the roosting area can hold up to 80 or so chickens, the nesting area has 10 nest boxs, storage for hay and feed bin storage, alonfg with a turkey roosting area ( the turkeys still roost outside though) the chickens and turkeys are free ranged, so they have had no problem with using the nesting area, do still find an occ. egg in their forage area and every great once in a while one under their roost. Golf balls or plastic eggs in the nest work well to give them the idea of where they should lay.

 

[oberhaslikid]

Check out Kuntrygirls BYC page .I just Love her set up.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Somebody called? I'm here!!!!!!!

Thank you for the kinds words.

tquadchicken, I have the set up that you are talking about. As oberhaslikid said, I have pics on my BYC page but I have posted a few pics in your thread so I can explain how it's setup. I have about 165 chickens and I have different roosting areas for them to sleep at night and I have 1 chicken house that they go in to lay eggs. I never wanted everything to be in the same place. That kind of setup is not functional for me having so many chickens and other animals. My current set up not only keeps their sleeping quarters clean but it keeps the chicken house clean as well. Having 1 "community" area where they all go to sleep and then lay is "too busy" for me. This set up gives the chickens the chance to chill out in the stalls and open/air coops, take a nap or get out of the rain instead of everyone piling up in one area.

When I open the coops in the morning, they know to go to the chicken house to lay eggs and leave out when they are done. As far as how did I "teach" them to lay in a different area, to tell you the truth, I have no idea. It just happened and they did it. Somehow they figured it out. So now the older girls teach the new girls where to go lay eggs and they "get it".

Here is my setup.

Here are the chicken stalls.

Another coop (open/air raised coop - more roosting space) connected to the Chicken House.

This pic was taken when I first built it, so please excuse the outdated pic/unfinished look. It looks different today because I have painted it since and of course added a door. I will try to take update pics this weekend.

Chicken House - This is where the magic happen.

Inside the Chicken House

Chicken House floor also serves the purpose for the ducks and turkeys to go in and lay eggs (on the ground) and hatch. Mom and babies are moved to the individual roosting stall and the stall turns into a brooder for the young hatchlings. They stay in the stall until they are old enough to care for themselves. The stalls also turn into breeding pens, so the stalls serve 3 purposes (roosting area, brooder, breeding pen - all in one).

This has worked soooooo well for me. I'm pleased with my set up.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Quote:
Somebody called? I'm here!!!!!!!

Thank you for the kinds words.

tquadchicken, I have the set up that you are talking about. As oberhaslikid said, I have pics on my BYC page but I have posted a few pics in your thread so I can explain how it's setup. I have about 165 chickens and I have different roosting areas for them to sleep at night and I have 1 chicken house that they go in to lay eggs. I never wanted everything to be in the same place. That kind of setup is not functional for me having so many chickens and other animals. My current set up not only keeps their sleeping quarters clean but it keeps the chicken house clean as well. Having 1 "community" area where they all go to sleep and then lay is "too busy" for me. This set up gives the chickens the chance to chill out in the stalls and open/air coops, take a nap or get out of the rain instead of everyone piling up in one area.

When I open the coops in the morning, they know to go to the chicken house to lay eggs and leave out when they are done. As far as how did I "teach" them to lay in a different area, to tell you the truth, I have no idea. It just happened and they did it. Somehow they figured it out. So now the older girls teach the new girls where to go lay eggs and they "get it".

Here is my setup.

Here are the chicken stalls.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_byc_house.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_chicken_house_014.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_feeding_area.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_byc_buff.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_byc_close_view.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_web_pics_022.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_tin_roof_and_side_and_wall.jpg

Another coop (open/air raised coop - more roosting space) connected to the Chicken House.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_hanging_basket_roost.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_061.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_062.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_063.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_cleaned_coop.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_chicken_house_new_roosts.jpg

This pic was taken when I first built it, so please excuse the outdated pic/unfinished look. It looks different today because I have painted it since and of course added a door. I will try to take update pics this weekend.

Chicken House - This is where the magic happen.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_tin_house.jpg


Inside the Chicken House
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_nesting_boxes_with_chickens.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_nesting_boxes_with_ducks.jpg


Chicken House floor also serves the purpose for the ducks and turkeys to go in and lay eggs (on the ground) and hatch. Mom and babies are moved to the individual roosting stall and the stall turns into a brooder for the young hatchlings. They stay in the stall until they are old enough to care for themselves. The stalls also turn into breeding pens, so the stalls serve 3 purposes (roosting area, brooder, breeding pen - all in one).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_duckling.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_3_turkeys_and_a_hen.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_sunday_ducks1.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_duck_in_brooder_2.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_duck_in_brooder.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_best_broody.jpg

This has worked soooooo well for me. I'm pleased with my set up.

I've seen yours before, but I really do love your set up! It looks so easy!

 

[tquadchicken]

Thanks for the various thoughts. Much appreciated.

kuntrygirl, I'm with you on the "too busy" part. That along with the cleanlingness (which translates into me not wanting to spend to much time cleaning the coop) aspect is the reason why I'm going to separate roost houses and nest houses. Good photos and set-up.

Nice to be in the game.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Thank you.

My stalls originally had dirt runs but recenetly I added sand, so there is literrally NO clean up at all. I spray down the back walls every now and then because they shoot poop on the back wall but other than that, VERY VERY VERY minimal clean up. The raised coop has hay floor, so all I do is take out the old hay and put in the new hay. The chicken house has a dirt/hay floor. A little racking every now and then but that is it. My thought is if I am speding too much time cleaning, then it defeats the purpose and I won't be able to enjoy the chickens.

Keep us posted on what you decide to do and post pics.

I hope others have more ideas and post pics of their set up as well.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Somebody called? I'm here!!!!!!!

Thank you for the kinds words.

tquadchicken, I have the set up that you are talking about. As oberhaslikid said, I have pics on my BYC page but I have posted a few pics in your thread so I can explain how it's setup. I have about 165 chickens and I have different roosting areas for them to sleep at night and I have 1 chicken house that they go in to lay eggs. I never wanted everything to be in the same place. That kind of setup is not functional for me having so many chickens and other animals. My current set up not only keeps their sleeping quarters clean but it keeps the chicken house clean as well. Having 1 "community" area where they all go to sleep and then lay is "too busy" for me. This set up gives the chickens the chance to chill out in the stalls and open/air coops, take a nap or get out of the rain instead of everyone piling up in one area.

When I open the coops in the morning, they know to go to the chicken house to lay eggs and leave out when they are done. As far as how did I "teach" them to lay in a different area, to tell you the truth, I have no idea. It just happened and they did it. Somehow they figured it out. So now the older girls teach the new girls where to go lay eggs and they "get it".

Here is my setup.

Here are the chicken stalls.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_byc_house.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_chicken_house_014.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_feeding_area.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_byc_buff.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_byc_close_view.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_web_pics_022.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_tin_roof_and_side_and_wall.jpg

Another coop (open/air raised coop - more roosting space) connected to the Chicken House.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_hanging_basket_roost.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_061.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_062.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_063.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_cleaned_coop.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_chicken_house_new_roosts.jpg

This pic was taken when I first built it, so please excuse the outdated pic/unfinished look. It looks different today because I have painted it since and of course added a door. I will try to take update pics this weekend.

Chicken House - This is where the magic happen.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_tin_house.jpg


Inside the Chicken House
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_nesting_boxes_with_chickens.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_nesting_boxes_with_ducks.jpg


Chicken House floor also serves the purpose for the ducks and turkeys to go in and lay eggs (on the ground) and hatch. Mom and babies are moved to the individual roosting stall and the stall turns into a brooder for the young hatchlings. They stay in the stall until they are old enough to care for themselves. The stalls also turn into breeding pens, so the stalls serve 3 purposes (roosting area, brooder, breeding pen - all in one).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_duckling.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_3_turkeys_and_a_hen.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_sunday_ducks1.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_duck_in_brooder_2.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_duck_in_brooder.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/6612_best_broody.jpg

This has worked soooooo well for me. I'm pleased with my set up.

I've seen yours before, but I really do love your set up! It looks so easy!

Thank you. Yes, very easy.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

sheesh! mine is not that elaborate but i do have a seperate coop and nesting box. When i let them out in the morning a few run for the waterers, a few for the feeders, and a few for the nesting box. it has worked out fine.

heres the goats on top of the box, the green one is the coop. I could not fathom having to crawl inside of that thing everyday to get eggs, so we made the seperate box with a hinged roof. It works out well and the girls have never layed in their coop.

small scale i guess