[gsc]

Do you divide your nesting boxes?

I have one house divided into 2 and 1 second hand house divided into 3 but 1 divider is missing.

I've just read that hens quite often share leaving an empty space suggesting that dividing them is pointless.

So before I go rushing off the get another divider made, what do you think?

[8doubles]

I would leave it , as you say they will probably cram into the smaller one.

[sarah f]

i took my divider out cos they just crammed themselves into one nest box 

[Pretty Chick]

Mine don't have dividers and are fine 

[gsc]

Thanks all - no dividers then

[hendreary]

It depends on the design of your nest box. On some of the ready made coops the divider prevents the base or floor of the nest box being pushed up from the outside, enableing a fox or other predator access to your hens.

[dizzylizzie]

You could always see how it goes anyway...mine love the privacy and woudnt like a communal nest box , but we have 3 coops, each with 3 nest boxes, we have buckets, ca baskets, broody coops....lots of plaes to lay, but they all want the same cat baset- including the turkey.You rally wouldnt believe how many chickens you can get in a cat basket WITH the turkey .They will share a cat basket but not a nest box  

[gsc]

Lol - more things to think about - if I hadn't thrown out the cat basket they could have had that - bl**dy cat wouldn't sleep in it!

I don't think the dividers are essential so I think I will leave the ones that are there but not bother replacing the missing one.

I was looking at a 50 hen house with roll-away egg collection yesterday - nice - but out of my league.

[hillfooter]

Personally I'd want dividers into single nestboxes.  It reduces egg pecking and potential breakage problems, separates off broodies, and can reduce the spread of Red Mite.  If an egg is broken or a nest fouled it limits the area which needs a clean up.  I shut up my nestboxes at night (or I used to do until I educated my birds not to roost there) and having individual boxes is a help.
HF

[gsc]

Hillfooter - what time do you allow them into the nest boxes then?

[hillfooter]

Hillfooter - what time do you allow them into the nest boxes then?

When you shut them up at dusk shut the box or if you egg collect in the early evening it's best to do it then. Open as early as possible or late at night once they've roosted and settled.  If your perches are correctly designed they will quickly learn to use the perches.  These should be arranged as a grill NOT a single pole and there should be no under perch access so droppings fall through and are isolated from being picked in.  This way your birds can huddle together to keep warm and you shouldn't need to poo pick and a once a fortnight clean out is all that's needed.  Once your birds are educated, and this might take a while if your perches don't offer them suitable roosts, you can leave them open and they don't use them to roost in.

I'll post a photo of an excellent example of well designed perches.  Note that the perches rise up from the central walkway and the "floor" is just a narrow U shape trough which can be lifted out as can the perches, both sides come off and the whole floor space is perfectly flat so is easy to sweep out into the U channel floor which is used as a receptical to tip in the barrow.  I use a poly sheet which I gather up to tip out which makes cleaning a snip.  There's no access to under perch droppings so keeping a low maintenance hygenic environment.  There's no where  to go other than the perches.  Note the swing down shutters on the removable nestboxes.   Remember too that the house is a secure warm sheltered roost primarily not a place for keeping their feed and general daytime habitation so it doesn't need lots of floor space.  Sheds are not ideal in this regard.
HF

[gsc]

I think I need to do some serious thingking about design.  My 4 girls are taking theselves to bed now but I have yet to actually catch them on the perch and one of the nest boxes was full of poop yesterday.

I totally KNEW I would be making mistakes with my first house - and I guess I was right -aren't we women always 

[hillfooter]

I think I need to do some serious thingking about design.  My 4 girls are taking theselves to bed now but I have yet to actually catch them on the perch and one of the nest boxes was full of poop yesterday.

I totally KNEW I would be making mistakes with my first house - and I guess I was right -aren't we women always 

There's a lot more to good coop design than just making a mini shed which looks good to you.  You need to know a little (or a lot) about chx behaviour and needs.  There's no substitute for  experience when it comes to the internal design which most DIYers neglect.  I'm always a bit dubious of factory made houses from China and Indonesia which maybe beautifully made (though deficient on material robustness) but lack real chicken know how. 
HF

[gsc]

Thanks Hillfooter

It's hard to make choices without any experience - and only time will improve that.

I must admit I am going for cheap options in the meantime but I am a little worried about this winter when they will spend more time indoors.  By next year I should have more idea what I want.

[Casey76]

gsc... why aren't you enjoying the woderfully warm (I'm sure!) weather in Luxor???