Temporary pullet coop

[MarvinTony]

Hey y’all! I currently have a flock of 13 mature layers that I keep in an A frame tractor and a chickshaw, both in a large electric netting “run” that I move weekly. I am getting 8 more layers in a couple weeks and am trying to figure out a temporary situation to keep them in while they grow to a size that will allow me to merge them with my current flock. The existing tractors have plenty of space to fit the new girls but I don’t want to throw them in there at 8 weeks old of course. So I’m looking for a place to keep them for 8-10 weeks while they get up to a size where they can hold their own. I was considering building one of those Joel Salatin style tractors (sow the land has a very small easy design for one of these) but I’m realizing that they are designed for meat birds specifically. I won’t need nesting boxes since I’ll transfer them before or once they start laying, but these designs also don’t have roosts. Apparently meat birds don’t roost? As future layers, will my new girls be ok with no roosts for a few weeks, or will they be traumatized every night? Thank you!

 

[NatJ]

As future layers, will my new girls be ok with no roosts for a few weeks, or will they be traumatized every night?

They will probably be fine.

Or if you want, you could provide them with low roosts, like boards or branches laying on the ground in their pen or running across between the boards that make the bottom rim of the tractor.