What's is right for my girls.

[DobieLover]

Also agree with others that the coop needs some HC backed windows.
The nest boxes are out in the open - no privacy.
I would add slanted covers over the tops of them, partitions along the lengths and possibly some curtains to make it feel secluded and safe. Add ceramic eggs and they should find the area more appealing to lay their eggs in.

 

[ShannonR]

Nest boxes not private enough.

 

[Burdenedthunder]

Thank you, I will work on that this afternoon. I think I can get some dividers in the boxes and covers. Thank you, everyone, for your help. I figure I will let them out today after I hear their "I laid" song.

 

[aart]

That bottom nest should be fine, might have a bit too much straw but....
.... just 'bowl' out a few areas in there and add some fake eggs and lock them in.

Tho ventilation and light are sorely lacking from what I can see.
Roof looks a bit dicey too.

@Burdenedthunder
Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Lady Lionheart]

Hello and welcome! You're going to love it here! Everyone here helping you with your coop, definitely knows their stuff. You are in good hands. With that beautiful scenery I'm going to guess you are in the Rocky mountains area somewhere..

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ok here is my coup and my girls. This is a temporary coup and will build a suite for my girls, once the deal closes on our property.

I would like to know where you are before I start making too many specific suggestions. As Aart said, climate is almost always important. For a temporary coop that's not bad and the light in there during the day you mentioned in your first post was a clever solution for the lack of a window. I'm always concerned about ventilation but in a coop that size for that many chickens it could be less important depending in your weather. Your weather may determine whether or not you can leave them locked in there more than space. You don't want to lock them in an unventilated oven. If it is not that hot and not below freezing a lot of ventilation is less important. I assume they are sleeping in there? Just on general principles I'd like to see a hole cut up high to allow some ventilation but you don't want rain to pour in there. Maybe some kind of shutter or louvers to keep rain out or something hinged at the top or slanted to protect from rain. Cover with hardware cloth to keep predator out. But it is temporary, don't go overboard.

My suggestions have pretty much been mentioned. I'd find a way to lock them in there at least a week and maybe two so they get used to laying in there. From your photo I don't see an easy way to put up a temporary fence with gate to allow them some access to the outside but that would be good if you can manage it. If you see your older hens beating up on your pullets that might be a solution. Give the pullets somewhere to go that the hens are not.

I don't know how close your pullets are to laying. I would not want to teach them to lay anywhere other than in the coop so locking them out may not be the best idea if they are close to laying. I find most of the time my pullets learn where to lay by watching the older hens. Those pullets complicate it a bit. Because of the difference in maturity they may become a target of an older hen if they are locked up in too small a space yet they need to see the older hens lay if they are close. This may not be an issue at all, often it is not, but just play it by ear and base your decisions on what you see, not on what I say might or might not possibly happen.

Those nests don't look that horrible to me. Sometimes a hen wants to lay in a dark secluded spot but other times they make a nest out in the open. They are all individuals. I'd suggest making a couple of nests in that lower one using dividers and a top to make them more secluded. For eight hens two is enough, more than three is overkill. That way they have a choice.

In my opinion a fake egg is more important than anything else though those certainly don't come with guarantees either. Often but not always a hen likes to lay where other hens are laying. I use golf balls but those ceramic or wooden eggs work great too. Some people use plastic Easter eggs but they are pretty light. You may need to fill them with sand or something similar and glue or tape them shut. Even then the hens often scratch as thy prepare to lay and can scratch them apart.

Different people have different opinions on how bright and light a coop should be. Some prefer a brightly lit coop, I prefer them a bit darker. A lot of that is probably personal preference, I don't think it is that important to the chickens themselves. Where you are may make a difference too. If you are a long way from the equator some extra light may be nice, especially in winter. If you are pretty hot in the summer less light may heat it up less. In cooler climates a southern exposure may help heat it up. In warmer areas a northern facing window may keep it cooler in summer.

So my immediate suggestions are to lock them in there to teach them where to lay, sort of enclose a couple of nests but don't go overboard, and use fake eggs.

When you build your new coop I suggest you include a permanent run as part of the design. It does not have to be huge and you may never use it. But I find a run where you can lock them in if you need to for extended periods of time can help immensely when you deal with issues that sometimes pop up. That may be something like this. You may do something you'd prefer the chickens to not be around to help you. If a predator shows up you may want to leave them locked up while you deal with that predator. It could help during a future integration.

Good luck. This kind of stuff can be frustrating but you can manage it.

 

[Burdenedthunder]

Thank you so much for that advice Ridgerunner. I live in Northeast Washington at 2200ft. (I did change it in my profile-thanks for the tip @aart) This is coup is just to get them through the winter. We just bought the place and had to put something up quickly. Come spring we are building the hen house.

Yesterday I made some progress with the coup. I put a six-inch hole under the eave and covered it with hardware cloth, I purchased a mess load of golf balls and put three per nest. Today I am making dividers for the nests.

I did open the door and let them out about 1 p.m yesterday. only three of them went back to their roosting spot, but they were easy to catch and slip inside the coup.

This winter isn't ideal but it's an ideal teaching situation for my 7-year-old son.

Thank you, everyone, for all your help. It means the world to me.

BT.