Suspended chicken coop- why not?

[aart]

Unblocked the nesting boxes today and the birds are still sleeping on the roost when I checked this evening. Does the golf ball in the nesting box thing work? My birds still aren't laying and I'm expecting they will soon, though I didn't know their age when I bought them.

Yep, it sure does...I still have them in the nests, spreads the love......and some times I move them around, just to see what happens.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

I tossed in a pvc coupling since I don't golf. Got my first egg today!

Also, how much straw is too much in the nests? I put a good handful in each but they usually pull it out and drag it around the coop.
Fresh straw

First egg!

 

[aart]

New layers can make a mess of the nests at first, they'll stop doing that after awhile....can take up to a month or so for them to get everything figured out and in sync.
Hmm..never heard of anyone using a pvc fitting, the idea is something close to the size, weight, and shape of an egg..but hey, if it works it works!

 

[enrgizerbunny]

It very vaguely resembles the shape of a half Brown half white egg if you're partially blind and you don't touch it, lol. If I put some crushed coral/shells in the run will they get it for calcium? I have no oyster shells...

 

[Sutremaine]

You can, but depending on the size they might ignore it. Our chickens have barely touched the oyster shell (maybe I'll sieve it a bit, if I can find the right size mesh, and smack the rest of it with a brick), but they love their own crushed eggshells. They're pretty finely broken up. The preferred size range seems to be about 2-3mm square.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

I am pleased to announce the expansion of the run to way more space than necessary. Needed to install a gate to get them in and I finally did that today. It's been so wet here lately that it was quite the mess under the coop in the old spot. For not liking wet places they sure don't mind the rain.

Different angle:

Old spot:

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Dimensions are 24x26' and they are MUCH happier.

 

[User395221]

and they are MUCH happier.

Yes, but your grass, not so much LOL Look at the difference on the outside of your fence, so lush and green.

That's a really neat little setup now. Lucky girls to have a nice big play area.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

They've done nothing but eat bugs all day since the move.

 

[User395221]

They've done nothing but eat bugs all day since the move.

That's what they do, peck peck peck all day, every day, except when they are laying an egg. I wouldn't mind being a chicken, I think it'd be quite a nice life.