New coop considerations

[Growley Monster]

Putting up the coop in a week or two, just wanted some general guidelines. Looking at 8 nesting boxes and roost space for 16 medium sized birds, brown leghorns. Nesting boxes will have outside egg removal and cleaning access. Planning tentatively on the nesting boxes being 12" wide x 16" high by 16" deep, 10" partitions between boxes to allow ventilation. Will that work? Is it near optimum? Thinking 1" dia oak dowel for roost, 16 linear feet for 16 birds max, gradually reducing to max 10 birds. They will have a large pen for roaming and scratching, not confined to coop. Does that sound about right? I realize that is more boxes than I need, but I would rather have too many than too few.

Also, what is the consensus on having a roost bar directly in front of the nesting boxes? Sort of a landing zone, for making a graceful entry into the nest? It should be slightly lower than the bottom of the nest box, right? Just going by what I have seen in the past. Also what is a good height for the roost bars? I know it's not critical and I can always shift them higher or lower, just trying to get it in the ballpark on the first go.

Chicks won't arrive for a couple weeks, so I got a couple months to decide on the details. In South Louisiana.

 

[MommyGirl]

I personally like the wide side of a 2x4 for roost bars and you want the roost higher than the nest boxes. Chickens like to roost in the highest spot so if nest boxes are higher they tend to sleep in the nest box. Also you don’t want your roost bars above your nest boxes cause they will poop all over them

 

[Growley Monster]

Thanks for that. I was told they like round roost bars but I can see how a 2x4 turned side up would work. About how many inches of roost do you like to allow per bird?

 

[MommyGirl]

I think most people say 10 to 12 inches but roosting can be crazy so I like to provide as much room as possible.

 

[MommyGirl]

You’ll get a lot of different views on if chickens need or like round roost or flat but I have only used flat

 

[StinkyAcres]

I agree, make the roosting bars higher than and far from the nest boxes to prevent them from pooping and sleeping in the boxes. But don't make them too high. Handling/examining/treating chickens is best done at night when they are calm and roosting, so making them within reach is important. I install my roosting bars at about desk height. This also reduces the amount of open floor space needed in front of the roosts for them to jump down onto (they can't jump straight down).

 

[K0k0shka]

Round or flat doesn't matter as long as it doesn't have sharp edges and isn't too narrow. 1" is too narrow. It won't support their weight very well - can dig into their feet if it's so narrow (less area to distribute their weight on), and can sag or break under 16 chickens. You can use a thick tree limb if you want it round (that's what I have and it works great) - at least 3" in diameter, or a 2x4 with the wide side up. I would give them more than the minimum of roost space, so they have room to maneuver, turn around, arrange themselves. Roosting is a high drama time of the day - deciding who sleeps where - and if they are packed too tight, there can be conflicts.

You haven't mentioned the most important coop considerations - space and ventilation. Everything else is secondary to that. Is your coop big enough? It needs to have a minimum of 4 square feet of floor space per bird, and ample ventilation (ideally 1 square feet per bird of permanent, open-year-round ventilation that's protected from weather and predators, and more in the summer when it's hot). It doesn't matter if your chickens "only sleep and lay" in the coop - it still needs to have that minimum of space, to avoid overcrowding and the problems that come with it - conflicts, smell, etc.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Will this be an open-air coop?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Planning tentatively on the nesting boxes being 12" wide x 16" high by 16" deep, 10" partitions between boxes to allow ventilation. Will that work? Is it near optimum?

I dislike words like best and optimum in this context. 12x12x12 work. 16x16x16 work. 12x20x14 work. Yours sound fine to me but I don't consider any one better than the others.

Thinking 1" dia oak dowel for roost, 16 linear feet for 16 birds max, gradually reducing to max 10 birds.

1" diameter is small. Unless you have bantams I'd want a minimum if 1-1/2" diameter. My main roosts are tree limbs anywhere from 4" to 1-1/2" diameter. My juvenile roosts are 2x4's on edge.

Some people consider round roosts best or optimum. Others prefer wide and flat. Some are OK with a 2x4 on edge which means 1-1/2" thick. You notice I said people. People care about this. From what I've seen and from experiments carried out with the results posted on here, the chickens don't care.

Also, what is the consensus on having a roost bar directly in front of the nesting boxes? Sort of a landing zone, for making a graceful entry into the nest? It should be slightly lower than the bottom of the nest box, right?

What you are describing is not a roost. A roost is where they sleep at night. What you are describing is a perch for them to land on and make it easier to get into the nests. Many people provide perches for this reason or ramps for chickens to walk up. I don't. Mine fly up to my nests and land on the 1/2" thick plywood that makes the face of the nest and then step in.

Also what is a good height for the roost bars? I know it's not critical and I can always shift them higher or lower, just trying to get it in the ballpark on the first go.

Most chickens like to sleep on the highest spot available. That means your roosts need to be the highest things available.

The way I determine elevation in a coop. First determine floor height, including any bedding. Then cut your pop door a little higher so they don't scratch bedding out of the pop door.

Then position your nests. Some people put the nests at floor level. Some put them higher. If you have a bad back you might want to be able to gather eggs without bending too far. Make them convenient for you. The chickens can adjust.

Then make the roosts noticeably higher than the nests or anything you don't want them sleeping on or in.

Then make your winter ventilation higher so a cross wind does not hit them when they are on the roosts.

far from the nest boxes to prevent them from pooping and sleeping in the boxes.

My main roosts are over my brooder built into the coop. The top of the brooder is plywood that acts as my droppings board. I have a juvenile roost a little lower than the main roost to give my juveniles a place to sleep when the adults won't let the juveniles sleep on the main roosts. My juvenile roost is above the nests. The nests have a top on them that act as a droppings board. I have no problems with the poop getting in the nests. If my nests did not have a top on them then it would be a problem, but they have the top.

But don't make them too high. Handling/examining/treating chickens is best done at night when they are calm and roosting, so making them within reach is important. I install my roosting bars at about desk height. This also reduces the amount of open floor space needed in front of the roosts for them to jump down onto (they can't jump straight down).

These are good points, both about being able to comfortably pick them off of the roosts at night and reducing the landing area required when they fly down. My main roosts are 5 feet high, which is convenient for me.

 

[Growley Monster]

Round or flat doesn't matter as long as it doesn't have sharp edges and isn't too narrow. 1" is too narrow. It won't support their weight very well - can dig into their feet if it's so narrow (less area to distribute their weight on), and can sag or break under 16 chickens. You can use a thick tree limb if you want it round (that's what I have and it works great) - at least 3" in diameter, or a 2x4 with the wide side up. I would give them more than the minimum of roost space, so they have room to maneuver, turn around, arrange themselves. Roosting is a high drama time of the day - deciding who sleeps where - and if they are packed too tight, there can be conflicts.

You haven't mentioned the most important coop considerations - space and ventilation. Everything else is secondary to that. Is your coop big enough? It needs to have a minimum of 4 square feet of floor space per bird, and ample ventilation (ideally 1 square feet per bird of permanent, open-year-round ventilation that's protected from weather and predators, and more in the summer when it's hot). It doesn't matter if your chickens "only sleep and lay" in the coop - it still needs to have that minimum of space, to avoid overcrowding and the problems that come with it - conflicts, smell, etc.

So I was thinking 8 x 8 or maybe 8 x 10 with overhanging roof and vents, closable vents under the nesting boxes, three windows and a people door and a chicken door. Our 24 x 12 porch roof blew off just before we closed on the property (good timing!) and the salvaged 2 x 6 joists are going to be used for the coop, as well as the metal when I get around to harvesting it from the neighbor's yard where it still lays. So my material costs won't be too bad. Also the flock will be reduced to no more than 10 birds as excess roosters become dinner. So that makes 4 sq ft initially, per bird, increasing to 6.4 sq ft per bird more or less, when I am down to no more than two roosters, if they get along, and one if they don't. If I luck out end end up with 10 hens, well, even that one rooster is optional. 16 straight run chicks gives me a statistical expectation of 8 hens, more or less. if I have at least 6 I will be happy and there will be plenty of room for the girls to share a boyfriend. 10 or more, we will just do without a rooster the first year. There will be an enclosed yard for them, too, and I might also put up an open air shelter with roost space. I don't think they will be too crowded.

I think I will go with 16" nest boxes just to make everything tie in well with standard 16" stud spacing on the walls. Originally I was gonna use 24" studs and 12" wide boxes.