nest box and perch

[b_cos_1_can]

how big should my nest box be and how far away from the back or front should my perch be? (my coop is 'compact' so i dont go getting too many - its a way of controlling what will become and addiction for me)

oh and...

do they always poo off their perch? or just drop it anywhere?
im going to put it on an old builders pallet top keep it off the ground....is that high enough or should i make it two pallets high? (it will be like the princess and the pea stroy )

[Richard]

Hi!

Often in smaller arks etc., there is no room for both perch and nest box as such.

Yes, they will poo anywhere they please but most poo is done during sleep, so come the winter, cleaning is more often and more difficult!

But, bless them, they do seem to allow for these things and rarely nest under the part of perch they sleep on.

As for size, if you have room, I'd say about one and a half times the size of a nesting chicken?

Richard

[b_cos_1_can]

i dont have my hens yet so what is 'nesting chicken' size?

[Richard]

I always find 2/3 eggs in a plastic tray with about 1" deep of wood chippings (not supposed to be a nesting box, it's to catch poo, but they never sleep over it).

Hold on, I'll go up the garden.....

2 minutes later......

14" x 16"

Equally, I find the same amount of eggs in an old cupboard drawer about 30" x 15".

They seem to like reasonably high sides, which they can look over the top of.

NONE OF MINE LAY IN THE ACTUALLY BUILT NEST BOXES!! These are little rooms, discreetly built and cosy!

[PetHeaven]

Hi
Mine dont use the nest boxes at all-they prefer to sleep in them and nest on the other side of the coop. They dont perch either! As for poos, my girls really dont do too much in the coop at night and seem to do more during the day in the run and free ranging. They are all ex-battery hens so they seem to have made up their own rules-and I'm quite happy to go along with that. They decided on their own spot for nesting and built up all the straw there-I have never found any poos in the nesting spot so far. When I clean out the coop I make it all up as they like it, straw in the same place and lots of extra wood shavings in the nest boxes where they sleep. If you look at a piece of A4 paper I would think each nest box space would need to be at least that size, most coop builders seem to describe 12"x12" as spacious.

[b_cos_1_can]

right so with only a week to go before i collect me ladies, im pretty much dun (ish)
i dont know that ill ever be prepared enough!
im off to buy some red mite stuff on thursday so any suggestions would be great...? ta
and im rasing it off the floor too....i was going to put it on a pallet so the floor doesnt touch the ground and now im thinking two pallets. would mean finding another though...any suggestions how far off the ground it should be??
and how big/small a gap can a rat fit through? pesky things
thankyou
kat

[Richard]

Look forward to seeing the photo's after they arrive and the much awaited first egg!

A rat can get through a tiny hole. If they don't, the mice will and I'm sure you've seen them squeezing under a well insulated closed door!
Basically it's the depth of their head - the body size doesn't come into it, they go nearly flat.

Also,, enough to get their mouth through will mean they'll eat their way in.

I'm afraid that rats are something that us chookie people have to live with. But if anyone moans, just remind them the rats are there anyway, they just use the chickens for a drive thru!

Richard

[b_cos_1_can]

a drive thru....never thought of that!
im not worried about having rats in the garden as such....i know they are bound to be there anyway! and im assuming they will steal any left over corn that the hens miss but im alot more concerned about them attacking the hens or the eggs! will they?
any thoughts on how high the coop should be off the ground?