When should I put up nest boxes?

[Opa]

Chickens prefer to roost when they don't have to grasp to stay on. That's why the 2x4 on the flat works so well. When grasping they must keep a more elevated posture that doesn't allow them to sit. I've noticed mine seem more relaxed and calmer on the wider roost. Less joustling for position. Also in cold climates they need to be able to sit on their feet to aid in staying warm.

I've never found community nest boxes to work very well. 3 or 4 nest boxes would be must better. Locate them so that they are lower than your roost.

 

[consdrs]

Quote:
I have 2 coops one is not finished yet. my first one I have 3 separate nest boxes and they all stand on the floor and yell at each other wanting the same nest. causes quite the ruckus. In my new coop I am going to try the community nest to see how that works. I have left my options open to put dividers in it if so needed. I'm hoping to avoid 9 hens tousling for one nest.


Connie

 

[frogs n chickens]

I was considering leaving open my 4' by 1' high by 1' deep as a community nest box for my 10 hens. They used to climb up into all of the time, but since i have been allowing them to free range every day, they move from the roost to the floor and out the door. My ladies are around 16 weeks now and my one rooster was witnessed this am trying to mount the smallest hen in the bunch. she did not want any of it and he persisted for a few minutes before giving up.

 

[wefroggy]

Thanks, I was thinking of switching mine out and I guess I will go ahead, 1/2 my chickens prefer the pine shavings on the floor and I would like to get them up on the roosts.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Yes, the comb and wattles will usually get redder when they are about to start laying. The squat is the position the hen takes for mating. If you walk up to her or reach down as if to pet her and she sort of lowers herself, she is saying she thinks you might be a roo and she is ready.

 

[TexGardenGirl]

I'm so glad this has started so much conversation on this! Thanks for all the ideas.
We'll be installing the nest boxes this weekend, we're trying to figure out how to stabilize the perches without extensive rebuilding, and we're making an effort to go out and put the chickies to bed every single night (which is tough in midsummer when we're otherwise in bed before dark...) Last night they did better, only the roosters wouldn't get on the perch on their own, and they stayed when we put them there.
Interesting about the comb & wattles getting redder when they're about to lay. I just noticed last week that one of my two Danish Brown Leghorns suddenly had a huge comb, bright red - I was afraid she was maybe a rooster after all, but I looked in all my books & references & saw that female Leghorns do have quite large combs compared to others, so I think we're ok since she has a hen-like tail & none of the extra feathering that roosters get. But the other Leghorn still has a tiny little pale comb. So how long between when the comb grows & darkens up until they're starting to lay? Any general timeframe or does it vary a lot?

 

[stormylady]

What I did for my roost I just nails a little piece of wood to each to the support studs and then nailed a 2x4 s to it like in the picture and it works great. No fuss, easy! but Im going to change the 2x2s going out from the walls to the 2x4 to 2x4s also.

This is what it looks like. Sandy
Oh yeah I forgot to mention that I put a support board in the middle because my roost are 12 feet long and it needed it. Hope this helps.

 

[SteffyK]

Here's my two cents, doubt its worth that much cuz I'm new at this, but...

Our 'Hen House Coop' is a converted shed with a belly button high 2 1/2' deep shelf on each side (aisle in the middle) that goes the entire 12 foot length. About 1/3 of each shelf has a lower shelf of the same depth as the top. This is a little bit lower than kneecap height. At this height are 2x4 braces.

(Okay before anyone thinks this was a thought out and planned structure, we happened to have a table made out of plywood that we just cut lengthwise down the middle and stuck in the shed.)

6 of the 14 hens like to roost on the knee high bars. ALL my Ameraucanas have opted for a shelf that is on the end of the shed and is about 2 feet from the roof. You should have seen my son and I searching for all the 'lost' Ameraucanas the evening they found that shelf! You cant imagine how QUIET they can be when they play Hide and Seek! or how loudly they cackled when we finally discovered them all watching us!

Anway, the most important part of my ramble is that our other pen, the one we have the smaller birds and a different rooster in has no shed. Instead we have some 'condos' that we built with doors and lids. For roosts in this pen, we took some old saw horses that werent good for anything else and mounted an old hand rail (wooden, like going up your steps) to it. For the smaller birds, we took another hand rail, mounted it on just a couple pieces of scrap wood and set it on the ground. They all just love the hand rails. Of course, my picture shows them sitting on the saw horse instead. LOL I now have quite a large stash of these handrails in the garage rafters for future perch projects.

 

[jjdward]

I think the roosts hanging on the wires allows them to move too much, that may be why some of the birds don't like them. I have mine hanging from my celing by 2x4's and they are very sturdy. I had a few chickens that would roost on my nest box too. I would go out there at dusk and move them on the roost. After about 3 nights, they got the idea. Also, I think my nest box is too high and that my be another reason. Wish you the best and hope this helps!!!

 

[K-Chick]

I use 2 old ladders I found in a barn. One I proped up on the saw hourses, and the other I built a stand. Then I found a broken step ladder and I leaned it up against the wall and they love it. Some are on the bottom steps while others like it way at the top.