The Poultry Keeper

jjleper · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Hello all,

I'm playing on building my own coop this year and getting a trio of bantams next year.

I've read that you don't need a nest box per chicken, (and one probably enough for 3?) but nothing ever says why?

Perhaps i'm being really silly.

How do the chickens 'take it in turns' to lay? what if one decides she's sitting and not going anywhere? will the others just lay elsewhere?

thank you!

nigel · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:12 am Post subject:

my chickens don't take it in turn to lay, there are enough boxes for all of them but they all want the same one and try to squash in, makes no sense but I can't find a way of stopping them

I guess the bottom line is one nestbox is enough for a trio Rolling Eyes

mojo · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:50 am Post subject:

but two is better if you are building for the fiture

CP · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:43 pm Post subject:

We have 11 nest boxes (we did have 38 birds, now only 25 with 7 chicks) but still get several eggs laid in the same one & some of them keep going back into the coop to lay (where they sleep) Rolling Eyes

Kristal · Joined: 01 Apr 2007 Posts: 115 Location: Shrewsbury

We have 2 nestboxes for 3 hens and they insist on all laying in the same one, no idea why!

debcat · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 3:50 pm Post subject:

it doesn't seem to matter how many hens you have, they all try and squash into the same one anyway Confused

jjleper · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

more questions! thanks for all advice!

1. is 3/4 inch (18mm) plywood suitable material?

2. Access. Im building a standing/elevated house. I want to know which is better - access from underneath or from the side?

From the side i can easily make a door i can open and close. from the underneath im not sure how to go about this - so....

does having a door matter (will then roam into the run early in the morning and lay eggs there)?

if not can you leave a access hole from to bottom of the house open 24/7? I assume side access will let in more cold/wind? will they feel the draughts if i don't close the access hole at night?

ZacB · Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 58 Location: Suffolk

We had 3 nest boxes for 8 hens which worked fine until some of the hens went broody & started hogging the boxes, we have since added a further 3 to make life easier. Regarding access, if your chicken area is fully enclosed & fox proof then I would have thought that they could come & go as they pleased. (No need for dressing gown & slippers on cold / wet winter mornings Very Happy

)
Ply can warp quite quickly if exposed to rain, we've used it internally for boxes & then used feather-edge to cover externally.

jjleper · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

i thought of using featheredge on the outside of the plywood as well, but i've read that featheredge encourages more mites? assuming though that the ply is well sealed is this not a problem?

Woodburner · Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:25 am Post subject:

Are you building a chicken coop or a house? Razz

Reading between the lines a lot here but have you got a cheap source of 3/4" ply but it's not water proof so you want to clad it with something that is?

I'm no expert but I would have thought that 3/8" exterior ply would be sufficient (with suitable timber at the joints ofc) and use water repellant preservative to make sure it stays water proof. It's certainly what I'd choose (rightly or wrongly) if I could afford it.

jjleper · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

er... a chicken coop to house my hens? hows that?

im still batting around ideas at the moment really. just want to make sure that before i go out and buy and start making it i've thought of everything and end up half way through wishing i'd done something different.

Langy · Joined: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Suffolk

Hello JJ

I was just like you a few months ago. Had loads of questions.

If you take a look at my post http://forums.thepoultrykeeper.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=7408&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=30

you will see the extent of questions I had in planning a coop.

Using the ply should not be a problem. I have used 13mm for the walls and 18mm for the floor and ceiling.

One advantage I found about using the entrance underneath rather than a side door was that you can build the coop over a small run. If you build this on concrete like I have the whole thing is far more fox proof. I then created a doorway to the main run. That way the chucks can get out to daylight in the early morning and the main coop does not need to be closed up.

The only thing I would suggest is make sure you have good entry to the ramp so that you can close it if you want. I will be putting in a rope and pulley system at some point so I can close the ramp.

If you look at my pics and plans you will see every part of the coop will open up except for the wire mesh parts, this gives easy access to almost every part of the coop.

Just one hopefully good piece of advice, make the coop big enough to add more hens later. I had planned on 4 hens and even only after a couple of weeks of having them I have now made plans to add at least another 4 next spring.

My coop should be able to house around 12+ hens and the run is more than big enough as well.

Good Luck!

CP · Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:04 pm Post subject:

jjleper · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

yes langy i'm planning something very similar. Im planning to make it so that the 4 side walls can lift off the base for easy cleaning of the floor (as well as the roof). obviously i'll make sure it can be safely/tightly secured. entrance underneath seems to be the way to go so i'll have think about how i can shut it up if need be.

Langy · Joined: 24 Nov 2006 Posts: 37 Location: Suffolk

What I have to do on my coop (still to be done) is put on a pulley directly above the end of the ramp. Then put some rope through which can then be pulled from the outside and tied up on a hook.